The map is indeed compelling, but geography can be considered a sword with two edges.
The Americans have air presence all around ..... fair enough. On the other hand, the Iranians have long borders with two nations where the Americans have a heavy troop presence: Iran and Afghanistan. Thus, the Iranians are well-positioned to filter fanatics into war zones, to bleed American troops. In addition (and this was noted by another poster), the Iranians can place sea-mines in the Straights of Hormuz, which would cause the price of oil to skyrocket.
As much as we ridicule Ach-My-Dinner-Jacket, I'm growing to grasp that the man is sharper than people realize. The Iranians recognize that time is on their side: the Americans are growing war-weary, and the Iranian centrifuges are humming. As for Obama attacking Iran, for pete's sake, Obama didn't even clear his throat when the Iranians were mowing-down their own people protesting a stolen election. Obama may even have a quiet admiration for Ach-My-Dinner-Jacket.
May we live in interesting times.
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