Consider the following:

1. Iranian weapons are continually found in Iraq being used against Iraqi and coalition forces.

2. Iran actively supports Muqtada Al’ Sadr and his ‘Army’. They also support multiple insurgent groups.

3. Has the goal of spreading the Islamic Republic to other countries, starting with the Shiite dominated southern part of Iraq.

4. They were largely behind the recent Shiite uprising in Basra and Baghdad.

Given these realities, hasn’t Iran continually committed acts of War against Iraq and arguably is in a state of War? Basically, Iraq, and the U.S. as a result, would have every right to attack Iran if and when it deemed it necessary.

What other country would allow another to actively ans semi-overtly support, with money and weaponry, dissident groups bent on overthrowing their government? I can’t think of any, save perhaps Israel dealing with Hezbollah and Iran, that can adequately defend themselves that would let such acts pass.

Could you imagine if mass riots and serious separatist movements started up in America’s Southwest, places like So. California and Arizona, by groups like La Raza who were bent upon returning that region of the US to Mexico and then definitive evidence came to light that the Mexican government was behind the movement and actively supporting it with weapons and money? Certainly, the US would initially pursue diplomatic means to resolve the issue at first, but if Mexico persisted, the US would get the military involved and take care of Mexico.

Currently, the acts by Iran may not yet justify strong military action against Iran and likely will never justify a full scale invasion. However, it should be made clear that any military action against Iran would be justified and instigated by Iran’s action herself.

In fact, if the United States really were determined to send Iran a message and decided to attack her, they would drop the nuclear justification, which is still iffy, and use the “defending the sovereignty of a free nation” excuse. Then the US and Iraq could warn Iran that for every uprising that occurs in Iraq supported by Iran, a bomb will be lobbed at a nuclear site, essential infrastructure, or a major city. One major strike per uprising until Iran ceased.

Of course this would stir up the hornets nest and Iran would like respond in kind, but Iraq and the US would have the moral highground. All Iran would have to do to stop the madness is for Iran to stop supporting insurgents in Iraq.

But let’s be honest, this is really not much of a solution. It is not a terrible idea, but there are too many variables and unknowns. What is known is that a war with Iran cannot be fought like a war with Iraq. A military invasion with the Army marching to Tehran would be ridiculous. Iran is a more developed country, a harsher geography with more difficult to access capitol, a better military than Iraq, and a sophisticated and proud population. A war with Iran would have to be fought like the Yugoslavia conflict in the 1990’s, straight air war. There would be no invasion, no removal of governments, no money for rebuilding, cutting of trade, and no money or troops to help rebuild the country; just a lot of bombs hitting strategic targets to take out Iran’s infrastructure and cripple it into submission.

One could go on and on about how a potential war with Iran would work, what the consequences would be, the risk of China and Russia getting involved, the rise of Persian nationalism, and so forth. My point is not to advocate war with Iran at all, but to point out the fact that Iran is already in a war with Iraq, Iraq and the US just have not acted in kind. War with Iran is actually the last thing the US wants right now, but both Iraq and the US would be perfectly justified doing so. No country should be allowed to what Iran has done, especially in the last month in Basra and Baghdad, with impunity.