Iran dwarfs Taiwan in power?
Absolutely
China's military is rivalling that of the US?
Superior in many critical cases like hypersonic missile tech and emerging 6th gen fighter tech, and faster-improving in every case I know of.
Once we are back in reality,
Maybe it's not the reality you prefer but that's America's reality. That's why they panic as China builds. Quite frankly, a man like Trump, who is more fit to run Nazi Germany than a modern US that is said to fancy inclusion and personal freedom, would have no chance at election had the US not lost its mind in fear of China.
let's take a look at the numbers.
The IRIAF has some ~300 combat aircraft, of which ~30-40 are the somewhat-modernized F-14. The operative term is "somewhat". The rest of their inventory could be dismissed as obsolete 3rd-generation airframes that wouldn't be of much relevance in a modern war.
The ROCAF has around ~400 combat aircraft, of which ~200 are the F-16V standard uprades & newbuilds. This is almost comparable to the PLAAF's entire J-10C fleet in terms of both quantity and capability. In addition to that, the rest of their fleet are comprised of the F-CK-1 and Mirage 2000, both of which are of the 4th generation and likely more capable than any of Iran's fighters.
Let's not forget about the ROCAF's force multipliers such as its E-2 fleet. Let's not forget that - while Iran has certainly shown its mettle with its array of ballistic weaponry - Taiwan has a large stockpile of long-range supersonic-capable cruise missiles. This is not to mention naval forces.
The only thing you've talked about is air power, which is in Taiwan's favor. The rest of it, whether it be land mass or population size, army size, and missile forces all heavily favor Iran, which actually had the guts and capability to strike Israel and US bases.
I see the tyranny of distance as an advange for the US; Diego Garcia is almost 5000 km from Iran - US jets could hit Iran and the latter would not be able to retaliate unless it's against some other US base in the region.
Iran can't retaliate against the US because of distance. Taiwan can't retaliate against the mainland because they'll be too busy trying to stay alive. Once the PLARF starts shooting, nothing in Taiwan will be thinking about hitting back but all about hiding and survival... and surrendering.
And by the way, the entire premise is stupid. It's that if the US can't win against a lesser foe, then neither can China. No, how about if Iran can keep off the US with such a disadvantage, then the PRC can crush the ROC since we'd be at a huge advantage?
