If nuclear weapons are that dangerous, why does America have thousands—but Iran can’t have even one?
In this episode of Stay in the Gray, Ryan breaks down both sides of the global nuclear hypocrisy:
– Why the U.S. and much of the world see an Iranian nuke as a nightmare scenario
– Iran’s side: deterrence, pride, and a power play against Western dominance
– The ethical question: Who decides which nations get nukes and which don’t?
– Why ideology, martyrdom, and unstable regimes make this more than a fairness issue
This conversation is about more than policy—it’s about reality.
Is global safety the real motive here—or just selective control?
📲Follow the show on Spotify! Welcome!
⭐Leave a 5-star review - every bit helps 🙏🏼
And share it if you believe this debate deserves honesty over headlines
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction: The Nuclear Dilemma
01:33 – Historical Context: Nuclear Proliferation
04:02 – The Middle East Nuclear Tension
06:50 – Global Perspectives on Nuclear Arms
07:59 – Iran’s Perspective and Motivations
11:20 – Ethical and Practical Considerations
13:12 – Conclusion: The Global Nuclear Debate
00:00:00
If nuclear weapons are so dangerous, why is it OK for
00:00:04
America to have thousands but Iran can't even have one?
00:00:08
If Iran goes nuclear, Saudis going to want one.
00:00:13
Egypt, Turkey. Suddenly you've got like Oprah.
00:00:17
You get a nuke and you get a nuke and everybody gets a nuke.
00:00:20
Does nuclear deterrence keep peace or does it just delay
00:00:24
inevitable destruction? Honestly, is the world safer
00:00:28
with only a few nuclear powers, or would parity mean total
00:00:33
meltdown faster? All right, hey everybody, here's
00:00:36
the thought for today. If nuclear weapons are so
00:00:39
dangerous, why is it OK for America to have thousands but
00:00:44
Iran can't even have one? This is a question posed to me
00:00:48
by my producers and a subsequent challenge they pinned on me for
00:00:53
this episode. They basically said hey Ryan,
00:00:56
can you talk about news without sounding like a biased American?
00:01:00
Spoiler alert, probably not. I'll sure try.
00:01:04
And FYI they are not American. But I am welcome to stay in the
00:01:09
great podcast. It's July 2nd, this will release
00:01:13
on July 4th. So happy July 4th.
00:01:15
Happy Independence Day. The United States of everybody
00:01:19
as is safe and don't set any fireworks off in your hands, you
00:01:24
morons. But I call it happy.
00:01:28
You kick the crap out of Great Britain Day and let's move
00:01:32
forward. How about we rewind for a
00:01:34
second? Back in 1945, America dropped
00:01:38
two atomic bombs on Japan. American planes dropped two
00:01:43
atomic bombs on Japan and effectively said, yeah, we're
00:01:52
running the show, bitch. Fast forward to 1968 and the
00:01:56
world signs the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, the NPT,
00:02:02
basically the five nuclear powers, United States, Russia,
00:02:07
China, the United Kingdom, France shook hands and said we
00:02:12
promise not to spread nukes but we're going to keep ours.
00:02:15
Thanks. But here's the thing, some
00:02:18
countries were like screw that. India tested its first nuke in
00:02:22
1974 under Operation Smiling Buddha. 50 years ago, India
00:02:33
conducted its first nuclear test in Pokhran, codenamed Operation
00:02:37
Smiling Buddha. Claiming it was, I can't even
00:02:42
say it. Peaceful nuclear explosion
00:02:45
technology? Sure, I can just picture a
00:02:49
statue of Buddha next to a red button.
00:02:52
Pakistan followed suit in 1998. We're taking you back in
00:02:58
history. On this day in 1998, Pakistan
00:03:00
became a nuclear power. It conducted 5 simultaneous
00:03:03
underground nuclear tests. Islam.
00:03:12
In direct response to India, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
00:03:17
saying today we have settled the score with India.
00:03:20
Not sure what score they settled, but now there are two
00:03:23
countries which we just found out sitting next to each other
00:03:27
with nuclear capabilities. How about Israel?
00:03:30
They've never officially confirmed it, but I think
00:03:33
everybody knows what they're packing.
00:03:35
North Korea, well, they just went rogue with their first Test
00:03:39
in 2006, despite the global. Sanctions North Korea says it
00:03:44
successfully carried out yet another underground nuclear
00:03:46
test. This one was conducted in the
00:03:48
same area where the country carried out its first successful
00:03:51
test in 2006. Seismic activity measuring
00:03:54
magnitude 5.3 has been detected at the suspected underground
00:03:58
bomb site. So why does America care so much
00:04:04
about Iran having the nukes? Well, let's talk about it first.
00:04:08
Israel and Saudi Arabia are ride or die besties.
00:04:12
Although Israel, tension is there in today's world between
00:04:18
US and Israel, but there are besties in the Middle East.
00:04:21
If Iran goes nuclear, Saudis going to want one.
00:04:26
Egypt, Turkey, suddenly you've got like Oprah, you get a nuke
00:04:31
and you get a nuke and everybody gets a nuke.
00:04:34
That's not good. Some may downplay that reason as
00:04:38
as part of why we're doing this, but not me, I'm not.
00:04:43
I'm not downplaying that. Second, Iran funds groups like
00:04:47
Hezbollah, and not just Hezbollah.
00:04:50
How about they fund Hamas? Hamas, whether you link them to
00:04:54
the Palestinian government or not, they are in charge.
00:04:58
They launched thousands of rockets into Israeli civilian
00:05:00
areas. They have a Palestinian Islamic
00:05:04
Jihad group active in Gaza, backed by Iran, with weapons and
00:05:09
funding about the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
00:05:13
They've targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities with drones and
00:05:17
missiles. Yemen's Iran aligned Houthi
00:05:20
group used drones to attack two major Saudi Arabian oil
00:05:24
installations, including the world's largest oil processing
00:05:28
facility. And I'm going to butcher this
00:05:40
Katyab. And then Hezbollah and Iraq
00:05:43
responsible for attacks on US bases, including the 2019 attack
00:05:49
killing an American contractor. Giving them nukes is like giving
00:05:53
a guy who already has a flamethrower A grenade launcher.
00:05:57
I'm not so sure that all of these groups would have
00:06:01
restraint. And 3rd, this is an arms race in
00:06:04
a region that's already, let's be honest, one go to way from
00:06:09
full blown chaos. Do you really want to add nukes
00:06:13
to that equation? So here comes the moral dilemma
00:06:15
from everybody America boasts Do as we say, not as we do.
00:06:20
I get it and you don't like that.
00:06:22
But if nuclear deterrence keeps peace, why shouldn't everyone
00:06:26
get one? But then there's the realist
00:06:28
counter argument. Some states are responsible,
00:06:31
some aren't. Who decides right?
00:06:35
How about the ones holding the nukes?
00:06:38
And I get that that statement isn't very well received by
00:06:41
those without them hoops or by those who look in America and
00:06:44
say who the fuck do you think you are?
00:06:46
I get that. But there's a truth to it.
00:06:49
And don't worry, it's not just Iran that sees the hypocrisy
00:06:53
there. Listen to what other countries
00:06:54
think. Germany's former foreign
00:06:56
minister Sigmar Gabriel in 2017 said if the US withdraws from
00:07:01
Iran deal, it risks being seen as a nation that disregards its
00:07:05
own agreements and global norms. South Korea's president Moon Jae
00:07:10
in in 2020. I thought South Korea basically
00:07:14
did whatever we told them to, he said.
00:07:16
We live under a nuclear shadow, not of our making, and yet we're
00:07:20
told we must never pursue it ourselves.
00:07:23
Seems about right. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo of
00:07:27
I think I said that right, he said, is the only country to
00:07:31
suffer nuclear attack. Fair enough.
00:07:34
We oppose proliferation in all forms.
00:07:37
The global nuclear powers must also act in good faith.
00:07:41
I would say that besides a couple threats here and there
00:07:45
over the years, the Big 5 have shown restraint.
00:07:48
Is that not good face in his eyes?
00:07:51
Global nuclear parody sounds nice until you realize it's
00:07:54
basically a worldwide game of Russian roulette with no blanks.
00:07:59
But let's flip the camera to Iran's perspective.
00:08:02
Why does Iran want the nukes? Well, according to them, first,
00:08:07
deterrence. That's what we all say.
00:08:10
The US and Israel have threatened them for decades.
00:08:13
Well, I've never heard US leaders claim they want to.
00:08:16
Wi-Fi ran off the map. However, nukes are their trias.
00:08:22
But second national pride. As an American, trust me, I
00:08:27
understand. They've built advanced missile
00:08:29
systems. Nuclear tech is next.
00:08:32
And honestly who wants to be told what they can and cannot
00:08:35
do? Power is a universal drug.
00:08:39
Iran just doesn't want to be left out of the club.
00:08:42
I can't blame them. Third, protection from
00:08:46
intervention. Libya gave up its nuclear
00:08:48
program. Then Gaddafi was dragged through
00:08:51
the streets. North Korea kept theirs, and
00:08:54
they're still standing. But if you think Iran's
00:08:57
leadership is subtle about their feelings towards America, here
00:09:00
are a few gems from the past. Ayatollah Khomeini, Yell at me
00:09:05
for my pronunciation, folks. In 1980, he said the United
00:09:09
States is the Great Satan. This was during the Islamic
00:09:13
Revolution, framing the US as an imperialist oppressor.
00:09:17
A lot of people believe that, I'll admit it.
00:09:21
Another quote from the same man, Ayatollah Khamenei, in 2015.
00:09:27
I'm not a math major, but that's 35 years later.
00:09:31
The US is an enemy who smiles while stabbing you in the back
00:09:36
so they don't think very highly of us.
00:09:37
That was said during nuclear deal negotiations warning
00:09:41
Iranians not to trust American promises.
00:09:43
We get it. You don't like us, Mohammad
00:09:46
Ahmadinehat. Hopefully I did that right. 2005
00:09:51
Israel must be wiped off the map at it.
00:09:54
That was at a Tehran conference titled The World Without
00:09:56
Zionism. Taking aim once again at Israel
00:09:59
in the United States, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
00:10:03
repeated inflammatory comments that he made three years ago,
00:10:08
saying Israel would soon disappear.
00:10:11
How about the Iranian parliament chanting death to America after
00:10:17
Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal?
00:10:21
To me that seems a little extreme, death to America, but
00:10:25
sure, we'll just hand them the codes and hope for the best.
00:10:29
Let's go back to global, the global thoughts on this.
00:10:33
Russia and China, they have kind of a go ahead.
00:10:37
Iran, it annoys America so we're all for it attitude.
00:10:41
Europe is just please no more. We're tired.
00:10:45
Brexit broke us already. The neighboring countries, mild
00:10:50
panic, diplomatic letters and arms deals behind closed doors.
00:10:55
Countries like India, Pakistan, they're just glad nobody's
00:10:58
paying attention to their nukes for now.
00:11:01
Then there was the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal.
00:11:05
This was signed under Obama, naked under Trump, and now it's
00:11:10
just floating out there like diplomatic purgatory, like your
00:11:14
last unread text. That's where the world kind of
00:11:17
stands on all of this. That's what's going on.
00:11:20
So again, here's the ethical gut punch.
00:11:22
Let's continue to talk about it. Is it fair for a handful of
00:11:25
countries to decide who gets nukes?
00:11:28
Does nuclear deterrence keep peace, or does it just delay
00:11:32
inevitable destruction? Honestly, is the world safer
00:11:36
with only a few nuclear powers? Or would parity mean total
00:11:40
meltdown faster? Here's my American take, and
00:11:45
don't at me. I warned you.
00:11:49
We've heard Iran call us the Great Satan for decades.
00:11:54
We watched them cheer in the streets after 911.
00:11:59
Many of us will never, ever, ever forget that their extremist
00:12:03
leaders vowed to wipe Israel and America off the map.
00:12:07
Do you think we're just going to hand them nukes and say please
00:12:10
don't be naughty with them? You see, the US and Russia and
00:12:13
China, they use nukes as geopolitical chess pieces.
00:12:17
Nobody actually wants to press the red button because it means
00:12:21
mutual destruction and terrible PR.
00:12:24
But extremist groups, They glorify martyrdom.
00:12:28
Death is a victory to them that makes them far more likely to
00:12:34
actually use a nuke in a tense situation.
00:12:37
And yeah, we accept our role in the United States as big, bad,
00:12:41
tough America. As much as the world hates our
00:12:44
arrogance, it exists for a reason.
00:12:47
It's like it or not, the world doesn't work with every other
00:12:51
country holding equal power. It just doesn't.
00:12:54
And there's a reason the line to get into this country has always
00:13:00
been, even if admittedly shorter today, very, very long.
00:13:05
I can admit to the arrogance. Can you admit to it being a
00:13:10
necessity in this case? So what do you think?
00:13:13
Should Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons if the US,
00:13:18
Russia and even Israel have them?
00:13:21
Or is that basically pressing the world's self destruct button
00:13:24
twice? I'm going to add this in.
00:13:27
Personally, I don't think Israel should have them.
00:13:31
The regional conflict there is absolutely out of control and it
00:13:35
always has been. It'd be like handing grenades to
00:13:38
a bunch of drunk hyperactive chimps.
00:13:40
They just start flinging around. I don't think that's a great
00:13:43
idea. So let me know your thoughts on
00:13:45
all this in the comments. I ran with nukes.
00:13:48
America, shut the fuck up. Leave them in America.
00:13:53
Leave them alone. As much as some of you hate to
00:13:56
admit it, are we doing the right thing here?
00:13:59
And if you're feeling generous, hit.
00:14:01
Like subscribe, follow, whatever the platform may be so that I
00:14:06
can keep tackling these types of questions that get me in trouble
00:14:09
with my producers. So stay thinking, stay
00:14:13
questioning, stay laughing. You can stay in the grave.
00:14:18
I'll see you guys. I love you.