The Iranians would be more than justified in acquiring nuclear weapons, and it astonishes me that a lot more countries in the region have not done so. It seems obvious that countries that acquire nuclear arms become safe from US aggression. Likewise, if Ukraine had not relinquished its nuclear arsenal Russia would not have violated the guarantees to Ukraine that resulted. Neighbours of China must be making similar calculations.

I think non-proliferation is increasingly a dead letter. Those who lack nukes lack the guarantees that are supposed to come with sovereignty. If I were leading a country - and believe me, you don't want that - which differed from the USA in its policies or was part of the former Russian empire, I would definitely want nuclear weapons, and sod non-proliferation treaties.