Iran.

With all the naval and aerial exercises and sabre-rattling coming out of Iran, tensions have been mounting in the Persian Gulf region.

Tehran also apparently seems intent on building nuclear facilities buried deep in nearly-inaccessible mountainous regions.

Pressure from the West, in an expected exclusion from SWIFT, which would ban more than 40 Iranian banks and institutions from the clearinghouse, signifies punitive sanctions with some teeth. Mounting sanctions, including sanctions against Iran's central bank, have had serious effects upon the Iranian currency and economy. Inflation and the price of goods has risen. This means it is affecting real people.

I find it a silly notion to believe that a nuclear-armed Iran (they deny ambitions for nukes, citing a need for energy) poses an existential threat to the United States.

Whether or not it poses an existential threat to the state of Israel (which would be a much more logical argument if you wanted to have it) is an entirely different story. Patriot missile batteries exist, but they are imperfect. It's much akin to hitting a bullet with another bullet.

What is most important here is the psychology of those calling the shots in Tehran.
For one, I don't buy the "nuclear energy" bit for one second.
They want nukes like most everybody else.

Are they a suicidal theocracy?
Can they be reasoned with, or deterred through the concept of mutually assured destruction (M.A.D.)?

The fate of Israel is one point to consider here.

What would another result of a nuclear Iran be?
One possibility is a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, with countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, or even Egypt entering the fray.

So, as you can see, this is much larger than just Iran and Israel. This has ramifications for the stability of the entire region.

For these reasons, I support efforts to derail Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Sabotaging their centrifuges with Stuxnet was a good idea.
Assassinating top Iranian nuclear scientists? Sure.

One missed opportunity was not supporting the Green Revolution in Iran that took place in 2009.
Obama whiffed on that one. It was a golden opportunity.

In an ideal world, there would be some way to convince Moscow and Beijing to twist some arms in Tehran to curb their nuclear ambitions.

They couldn't care less about the safety of Israel, but what about the stability of the region and the world in general?

If sanctions and diplomacy aren't enough, it seems as if nothing good will come from this situation.

What happens when and if Israel attacks?
That's the million-dollar question.