Some very significant points :
"The new Tehran leadership is flattered by the fact that the United States is treating it as an almost equal adversary, rather than a ramshackle Third World regime."
"Tehran would like nothing better than a resumption of talks with the International atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in exchange for postponing any action by the Security Council."
Overall, the Tehran leadership wants to keep the focus on the nuclear issue. This could win the regime a measure of popular support inside Iran, where most people do not know what the fuss is about and resent being treated as "less than the Indians" when it comes to having nuclear weapons. At the same time, exclusive attention to the nuclear issue keeps the limelight off of other, potentially more explosive issues — such as violation of human rights, waves of executions and ethnic unrest in many parts of Iran."
"The Iranian analysis is based on the belief that the current U.S. strategy is the product of "a moment of madness" under George W Bush." It assumes that Bush's actions are out of character for an American president and that, once he is out of office, his successor, whoever it is, will revert to the traditional American policy of "conflict avoidance" and "alliance building" for soft-power action.
All the talk in Tehran (and, by extension, in Damascus, since the Islamic Republic has now established itself as the principal supporter of the Syrian regime) is about "the three-year endurance course" — that is, what is left of Bush's final term in office."
"Ahmadinejad mocks the major powers for their "obsession with passing resolutions."
"They just don't get it," he told an audience in Bushehr earlier this month. "They think that because they pass a resolution everyone is obliged to obey them. Our message is simple: Pass resolutions until you are blue in the face! We are guided by what the Hidden Imam tells us, not what you dictate in your resolutions."
In a nutshell, conventional warfare with Iran is on the horizon IMHO. He knows we are tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan and thinks we cannot attack before he can threaten nuclear retaliation, regardless of whether or not he would survive such a stupid tactic.
He isn't afraid of us, he wants a showdown, and he'll get it.
Now the real question is whether Condi can get the international community to act. How about some Russian and Chinese enforcers, for a change?
"They just don't get it," he told an audience in Bushehr earlier this month. "They think that because they pass a resolution everyone is obliged to obey them. Our message is simple: Pass resolutions until you are blue in the face! We are guided by what the Hidden Imam tells us, not what you dictate in your resolutions."
That seems straighforward enough. Wonder if anyone will take him at his word?
No way! There must be some place for diplomacy in this matter, regardless of what he says! Thanks, Kofi. Now sit down and shut up.