In this episode of The NIDS View, Jim and Curtis examine Iran’s nuclear ambitions against the backdrop of the 2026 air war and a rapidly shifting deterrence environment. The conversation unpacks Iran’s status as a nuclear threshold state, the realities of enrichment and breakout potential, and how deterrence—rooted in capability and credibility—shapes decision‑making in Washington, Tehran, and across the region.

Drawing on real‑world developments, they explore the risks of nuclear proliferation, the logic and limits of preemptive strikes, and whether preemption can function as a deterrence‑adjacent strategy without undermining strategic stability.

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167 - Iran’s Nuclear Threshold and the 2026 Air War