Though determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, even if doing so requires military action, the US weighs the consequences of a military showdown in very different terms. A superpower that has earned only frustration in its abortive efforts – whether war or regional diplomacy – in the dysfunctional Middle East, the US faces the Iran crisis in the midst of its epochal strategic shift to Asia and the Pacific.
美国不会接受伊朗拥有核武器，即使为此采取军事行动也在所不惜。尽管如此，美国对军事行动后果的评估与以色列大不相同。作为一个超级大国，美国在瘫痪的中东所做的一系列动作都没有取得成功（不管是战争还是地区外交），伊朗危机又发生在其欲进行将重点移到亚太地区的划时代的战略大转移的当口。与伊朗开战的不良影响将在多年内对美国的中东地位造成危险，破坏其新的战略要务。