Upping the Ante

Iran is back in the news, having broken the UN seals at Natanz and indicated its intention to restart its nuclear enrichment facility. As a result, the EU3 (Britain, France and Germany) seem prepared to refer the matter to the Security Council. I’ve discussed this issue at great length in previous postings and remain convinced of two things:

• Iran’s motives have little to do with producing electricity, and
• A major confrontation with Iran at this time would play havoc with energy markets.

There’s not much more to add at the moment, from my perspective. However, in the last few days we’ve heard some interesting commentary from Iranians, and it’s worth taking a look at these, if you haven’t already read them:

From the Wall St. Journal:
An indication that Iran’s theocratic hard line may not be as monolithic as it seems (subscription required.)

From the NY Times:
Ideas for averting a crisis

Anyone thinking that Iran's regime is innocuous and harmless should check out http://www.abfiran.org/english/memorial.php