It's the same old thing. You are just not getting this. The world is full of people that would like nothing more than to push the envelope against the international powers.
And when they have a pea shooter, we just laugh at them. What you say is really quite irrelevant. What you are capable of is what people care about. South Africa did not say a word about their secret nuclear plan. But they were capable of delivering several working gun types.
Capabilities always trump words. If we got our panties in a bunch every time someone made a threat, we'd be hopeless. Care about what nations can do, not what they say.
We have North Korea launching missiles into the Sea of Japan. Are they really a threat to America personally? And would they dare launch into Japan or South Korea? Of course not. But their constant defiance towards the United Nations and constant "do something" towards the U.S. undermines our credibility and encourages others to be similar pains in the asses. It makes life harder for us.
How exactly does it make life harder for us? Frankly speaking they know they can't do anything. And in some ways we pander to this to keep in power those who know that they can't do anything. It would be far worse to get a new leader who didn't realize the risk he was taking. So we know they are largely irrelevant. But we play the game to keep the status quo. Are we actually at risk? No.
It only undermines credibility because some people don't understand the game. What encourages others to be pains in our asses is our questionable stance of nuclear weapons. Not necessarily the acts of those who have them.
Saddam Hussein constantly pushed the envelope and rushed his troops towards the Kuwaiti border. He defied the UN's mandates in regards to the cease fire that spared his and his off spring's throne and continually implied to his neighbors that his WMD was secure and sound. Every thug in the world watched how that played out.
Yet everyone knew that Saddam had virtually no power and that in he actually tried something, his neighbors had the military force without the US to crush any attack. And as every thug knows, Saddam was playing a game with the US fully knowing he didn't have squat to back it up. Notice that a large number of inspectors also stated this years before the invasion. In many ways, the target audience is not the world. It's the citizenry of the nation in question. Is North Korea going to use a weapon? Hell no. But that weapon is a huge legitimatize for the regime. Iran is trying to do the same thing. Blame the West for Iran's problems and a show of rebellion to gather support. How many times have we seen this in the Middle East?
Iran is doing the same old grandstanding in front of the world and using threats of nuclear expansion to dare the powers of the world to do something.
With likely full knowledge that it can't do anything about it. Again, the likelihood of them pulling it off is as likely as a gay atheist republican getting the GOP's presidential nomination. Not going to happen. This is just blustering and educated minds know it. Same as the almost on regular basis saber rattling from North Korea.
Thus far, the entire world has seen Iran smack the UN, the EU, and America in the face over and over again.
Smack? Come again? How has Iran smacked anyone other then its own population? All Iran has done is be extremely uncooperative, but not to the point where the regime is actually threatened.
Eventually, they will force a violent hand. But we will wait until that violence is more deadlier than is has to be and refuse to acknowledge that our stubborn will to talk our way into trouble equals "good diplomacy."
Really? You really think that a regime that has never risked its own neck will force a confrontation it knows it cannot win? Iran's leadership is not crazy by any measure. And every single person here I have asked this question to runs like a worthless coward: Why would a regime that has always sent someone else to die in its place risk its own power? Besides, Iran likely sees the writing on the wall as many of the other Middle Eastern nations do. When Oil runs out, they got nothing and that day is not that far off.
Some of us talk ill of the UN. Some of us defend it. Well, what exactrly has wrecked the UN's credibility since the end of the Cold War? Has it merely been the fact that it is made up of dictators? Or has the constant undermining of people, who "are incapable" of their words, taken its toll too?
Okay...not sure how that address what I actually wrote.
What they are "capable of" doesn't matter.
Yes it does. No one rational makes plans around what people say. They make them around what they are capable of. The Russians don't care about our assurances that the missile shield won't be used against them. They know that with enough defense funding, it can eventually be used against them.
They measure capabilities, not words.
How others are encourgaed does. The more we talk, the more Iran shoves. These people need to be shown that their are consequences for challenging the world powers, of which there have been none to date.
Perhaps you think that the human race is so stupid that they think Iran would win a war. Granted, I often think humans are idiots, but not that stupid. When push comes to shove, Iran will back down. How other are encouraged by a country that knows they will lose a war into engaging in similar behavior makes little sense. What encourages countries on our hit list is our hands off policy towards countries with nukes. Get a nuke and we won't touch you.
Capabilities are always what has mattered. No one gives a **** if you say this or that.
If you are completely unable to actually make good on your threat, is that a threat? 
Then expect another 9-11.