Saturday April 29, 2006

I've Been Thinking:

The Iranian nuclear confrontation is reaching a new plateau.
The IAEA came out with its report - no major surprises there but a few worrying terms like "matters of concern."

AP quoted the report, "Iran declined to discuss these matters" and "Iran continues to decline the agency's request" for a copy of the document.

This is neither a scathing condemnation nor a crescendo to military strike.
And Iran knows it.

Iran says the document proves that the IAEA still has jurisdiction over their programs and that, therefore, the issue should not be put before the Security Council. Iran is not surprised by the report or by the threat of sanctions.

The West has yet to catch on to them, but Iran is playing a game.
It is a game of "us versus them."
Iran is acting like a cocky adolescent, all bluster no concerns.
Right now Iran is winning and the West is losing.
The West is playing a different game - the game of intimidation.