Iran Hangs in Suspense as War Offers New Strength, and Sudden Weakness

NY Times ^ | July 30, 2006 | MICHAEL SLACKMAN

[Sabramerican]

TEHRAN, July 29 — These should be heady days for Iran’s leaders. Hezbollah, widely regarded as its proxy force in Lebanon, continues to rain down rockets on Israel despite 17 days of punishing airstrikes. Hezbollah’s leader is a hero of the Arab world, and Iran is basking in the reflected glory.

Yet this capital is unusually tense. Officials, former officials and analysts say that it is too dangerous even to discuss the crisis. In newspapers, the slightest questioning of support for Hezbollah has been attacked as unpatriotic, pro-Zionist and anti-Islamic.

As the war in Lebanon grinds on, Iranian officials cannot seem to decide whether Iran will emerge stronger — or unexpectedly weakened.

They are increasingly confident of an ideological triumph. But they also believe the war itself has already harmed Hezbollah’s strength as a military deterrent for Iran on the Israeli border.

And foreign policy experts and former government officials said that Iran had come to view Israel’s attack on Lebanon as a proxy offensive. They now view the war as the new front line in the decades-old conflict with Washington.

“They are worried that what’s happened in Lebanon to Hezbollah is the United States’ revenge against Iran,” said Hamidreza Jalaipour, a sociologist and former government official. “The way they are attacking them and fighting against them is like waging a war against Iran.”

......

No matter how this conflict is resolved, Iranian officials already see their strategic military strength diminished, .....

“This was God’s gift to Israel,” said Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at Tehran University and an expert in Iranian foreign policy. “Hezbollah gave them the golden opportunity to attack.” ....

“If Israel attacked us tomorrow, what are we going to do?” he said.

[Sabramerican]

Interesting piece to be in the Times.

They now view the war as the new front line in the decades-old conflict with Washington.

“They are worried that what’s happened in Lebanon to Hezbollah is the United States’ revenge against Iran,”

Iran's answer to Pat Buchanan's rant that it is not our war.

[austinaero]

“This was God’s gift to Israel,” said Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at Tehran University and an expert in Iranian foreign policy. “Hezbollah gave them the golden opportunity to attack.” ....

“If Israel attacked us tomorrow, what are we going to do?” he said.


Uh, this professor Hadian, will probably not have to worry about many more 'omorrows.'

[austinaero]

'omorrows' = tomorrows

[inkling]

Iran's answer to Pat Buchanan's rant that it is not our war.

Buchanan prefers Iran to Israel.

[brain bleeds red]

It's so hard to read NY Times article because your BS-meter tends to overload at times...

[Concho]

There just has to be some way that the IDF can take Shiek Nasty out of the picture in Lebanon.

[MNJohnnie]

Could the Times butt clowns slobber any harder on their terrorist heroes? What is this like the 5th utterly clueless puff piece about the terrorists today?

The terrorists are winning by getting the infrastructure and cadre they spent years building wasted? BY this standard the terrorist win simply by existing and Israel and the West can NEVER win.

What a bunch of closet case morons.

[wastoute]

What Israel needs to do now is attack Syria directly. Syrain troops cannot be spared to be mobilized or their people will revolt. Syria would fall in days. Once Syria cannot be used as a pipeline to supply Hezbollah, Hezbollah could count it's life in hours. Also how could Syria take it's troops off it's Iraq border? As the General (Ret.) says on Fox, we are the Anvil. This whole mess could be closed down in days and the Iranian ambition in the area would be damaged severely. We might even get some relief in Iraq.

[wastoute]

P.S., it is curious that such a peice would run in the NYSlimes. They must be trying to get their Jewish readership back. Not a bad business plan, actually.

[Sabramerican]

To what are you responding? Certainly not this article.

[Sabramerican]

We might even get some relief in Iraq.

If the Administration played it right, this war is just about the only thing that might save the American aims in Iraq.

[GSlob]

Lobbing an 1 megaton at natanz would be both cheaper and faster.

[Daus]

I firmly believe this is all American strategery.

One of the hole cards that Iran was holding in any move against it's nuclear facilities was that they would send Hezbollah into Isreal. Hezbollah is now affectively neutered with any future illusion of it's affectivness greatly diminished.

[ex-Texan]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Visits Tehran on July 30, 2006.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez are stirring the pot. Both are up to their eyebrows in illegal drug smuggling. Castro is right in the mix. Iran and Syria are major counterfeiters of U.S. currency. Cuba makes counterfeit currency, too. Venezuela is promising its oil will go to China. Not one drop for the U.S., if Chavez gets his way. Beijing is happy to grease open palms in Venezuela. Castro plans on drilling for oil off the coast of Florida. Congress frets and fumes. In the meantime, those corrupt Congress critters are more worried about judges granting search warrants of their offices than conducting the "peoples' business." The public is supposed to know that the REAL business of Congress is to get richer. God forbid they would do something about genuine problems: National security issues raised by our open borders or authorizing new drilling or helping to build new refineries in the U.S. They are too busy meeting with bag men carrying suitcases full of cash. Moola trumps all today. Corruption rules D.C. 'Nuff said.

17 posted on 07/30/2006 8:59:26 AM PDT by ex-Texan

[AmericaUnited]

I have no doubt we are secretly giving Israel the big green light to smack tha piss out of the Hesbos. Good cop/bad cop.

[AmericaUnited]

One of the hole cards that Iran was holding in any move against it's nuclear facilities was that they would send Hezbollah into Isreal.

You got it! We're calling their hand while holding 4 of a kind.

[Sabramerican]

To assure victory there are two musts.

The President should refuse to meet with Tony Blair who fills his head with mush.

Rice should stay home.

[SaintDismas]

Hezbos=Lezbos

[Sarah]

'“This was God’s gift to Israel,” said Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at Tehran University'


is he still alive?

[free from tyranny]

I would suggest a raid on the Iranian embassy in Beirut. This is the supposed hiding place of the Hezbollah leader. Kidnap this coward. What would be the response of the Iranians? Probably nothing but bluster.

I believe like you. The Israelis need to take this war to Syria and Iran. They made a mistake by going after the rockets. They should have positioned themselves on the Syrian border first and simultaneously moved northward from the border with Lebanon. Squeeze the vermin.