pOptimists contend that a prospective nuclear deal with Iran, being negotiated by the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany (P5+1), would not only prevent Iranrsquo;s acquisitionnbsp;of nuclear weapons, but avert contagious proliferation in the Middle East. That happy outcome isnbsp;unlikely, however, because any deal acceptable to Iran would leave it several plausible paths to the bomb, thereby compelling regional rivals to pursue their own nuclear programs for deterrentnbsp;purposes. In theory, such contagious proliferation could be prevented by military and diplomatic options, but none appears politically viable. Thus, unless Iranrsquo;s program is stopped by military actionnbsp;or regime change, regional nuclear proliferation may be inevitable ndash; even if the P5+1 reaches a deal with Tehran./p
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