Israel threatens Iran, the US threatens Iran, Iran threatens the US… and so the game is played as the major players from Europe, Asia and America continue to play a game of geopolitical chess over Iran nuclear ambitions. While every one but Iran admits the Islamic Republic is seeking to develop a nuclear weapons program, the Iranians stubbornly insist their program is peaceful in nature, in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

The Iranians, by their own admission, as we discussed yesterday, have been stringing these “negotiations” along for as long as possible, as they continue their research. The Iranians recognize that even the hint of “negotiations” is more than sufficient to bring the EU3 back to the table, given their aversion to conflict at all costs. In so doing, the Iranians have managed to secure two years worth of delays thus far.

Through these delaying actions, the Iranians will be able to complete there weapons research, indeed by the time the various world powers reach an agreement on how best to confront Iran in may very well be too late.

Iran’s delaying strategy has an immediate and long-term component. In the long-term, their goal is to develop an indigenous nuclear weapons industry, thereby becoming the arsenal for radical Islam around the world, proliferating such weapons to terrorists, rogue states and all comers. In the short-term, the longer Iran delays, the more difficult it will be to destroy or reverse Iran’s nuclear development. At this very moment Iran is upgrading its defensive capabilities, including an advanced anti-aircraft weapons system acquired from Russia no less. Once in place, these systems will make a surgical strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities all but impossible, thus requiring a massive strike, with the inevitable massive causalities and the equally inevitable leftist outcry…
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-03-08T142833Z_01_L08205988_RTRUKOC_0_US-NUCLEAR-IRAN-ISRAEL.xml&rpc=22