Yes, we can.

[scaeagles]

I can see why you would read it that way, but he is still saying they are not a serious threat and saying that the Soviets were. I don't think he was equating the type of threat, but the level of threat. He's saying that the Soviets were a serious threat, but Iran is not.

Again, I believe Iran is more of a threat than the USSR was because they are a diffeent type of threat.