Psychologie

The Iranian nuclear conflict cannot be understood solely through the lens of technology and security. Enrichment levels and missile ranges matter, but they are not the real drivers of escalation. At its core, Iran’s pursuit of the bomb is about the Demand for Recognition (DfR) — the need to be acknowledged as sovereign, equal, and immune to humiliation. Each sanction, each Israeli or U.S. strike, has deepened Iran’s resolve rather than weakened it. The atomic bomb represents not just deterrence, but dignity: a symbolic victory in a struggle for respect on the world stage. If Iran crosses the nuclear threshold, the West must abandon denial and coercion. Only through recognition-based diplomacy can confrontation be transformed into stability.