> The Iran War was predicated on a manufactured threat of them getting nuclear weapons

its not entirely manufactured. The IAEA report was pretty clear they were violating the rules. It was almost certainly the most damning report the IAEA has ever made in their entire history.

But yes, the real reason for the war, is that the protests made Iran look weak, so they thought they had a limited-time opportunity to deal with a long term adversary. Iran's proxy strategy threatening US interests in the regions almost certainly had just as much to do with it as the nuclear issue.