Generally most people in the world are against the atomic bomb, unless it is their own country. One reason is the sense of security that shields their borders from foreign bullets. One can argue that these tools are irrelevant for internal struggles. Think again!
Countries that are secured, whether by international military pact, large hardware/fire power, or nuclear bomb, are less likely to hide their true nature behind the enemy curtain. Most probably governments are not going to stop their usual slogans, but the focus of their citizens will dramatically turn to internal struggles. They will be more relaxed that there will be no foreign takeover or preemptive strike. And this can be a good thing.
Generally the problem with Iran has been its lack of military power to stop the possible foreign interventions and threats. The only solution that remained for our twenty-century leaders was to deal with the devil. Iran was a weak country and Soviets in the north along with British and her allies in the south were continuously undermining Iranian territorial integrity. The Iranian government then, realized that the country was a mess and under threat. Reza Shah I, saw no solution but to secretly deal with Hitler. For Reza Shah I Hitler was the lesser evil, and perhaps based on the Iranian historical data, he was correct. In politics, morality matters when you have control of your own destiny.
Now time has changed but Iran still struggles to free itself from the bullies. Internally Iranian harsh social policies will not be affected at first. However the external changes will greatly influence the entire game board and eventually the internal landscape forms new pathways. I see many positives with developing the Bomb!
If the government of Iran is not thinking about building the bomb today, they are making a big mistake. Go ahead, build it and build it fast.
