Seth Cropsey writes that the only way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue is by overthrowing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (“The Perfect Time for Regime Change in Iran,” op-ed, July 9). Yet this recommendation is based more on hope than good sense. Such efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya—all of which created more problems for the U.S. than they solved, at a higher cost than anticipated—inspire no confidence that a similar campaign in an even larger country would be any different.
Decapitating the Iranian regime sounds manageable if it weren’t for the risks, including unleashing the infighting between various domestic constituencies that we saw in Iraq. The difference is that the fallout to regional stability would likely be greater today. Even in its weakened state, Iran has more capacity to inflict problems than Saddam Hussein ever had, leading to the possibility of U.S. troops being deployed to stabilize any flare ups.
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