Will U.S. forces get dragged into this conflict? President Barack Obama clearly does not want to go there, but here are five reasons why that could — and, unfortunately, might — change.

1. Americans hate the mullahs: Americans are often foggy on many historical facts, but something about the Iran hostage crisis has stuck. Polls have shown that Americans are, at the very least, not all that hostile to bombing Iran. When George W. Bush included Iran in his “axis of evil,” it was a cheer line.

2. We’re already in the neighborhood: The deployment of troops into Iran would be made much easier because the U.S. has all those troops parked right next door in Iraq.

3. Chaos: If the situation in Iran deteriorates further, people will flee the country, and calls for humanitarian intervention will arise. Conflict could spill over into Iraq, which would cause U.S. troops to push back.