Sunday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 5.22.2005:

Eye of the Storm: The Buzz in Teheran

Amir Taheri, The Jerusalem Post:

While the world is focused on Iran's alleged efforts to build a nuclear arsenal, the more immediate debate about its regional strategy may have been sidelined. This, at least, is the opinion of Ibrahim Asgharzadeh, one of the mullahs and politicians who have registered to become candidates in Iran's presidential election next month.

In speeches in Teheran this week Asgharzadeh warned that a coalition of military commanders and mullahs is in the making with the aim of provoking "a direct confrontation" between the Islamic Republic and the United States in the Middle East, especially Afghanistan and Iraq.

"If these schemes go through the nation will be led into dangerous waters," Asgharzadeh warned. "There are people who want to push Iran into a war against the rest of the world, especially the United States." READ MORE

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Forbes reports that Iran warned the EU3 against pushing for the Islamic republic to be referred to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme, saying such a step would spark 'a crisis over which the Europeans would have no control'.
• Slater Bakhtavar writing for the Persian Mirror said, "although Iranians are openly pro-American any type of military attack by the United States and/or Israel will turn the nationalist population in Iran immediately anti-American."
• Stefania LaPenna writing for the Jerusalem Post said, "The best weapon is deception." This is what Iran's mullahs think; it is their ideology."
• The Financial Times reports that a senior US official laid out the Bush administration's policy towards Iran, pledging support for pro-democracy movements but stopping short of endorsing "regime change".
• And finally, The Los Angeles Times reports that amid Iranian threats to break off negotiations and European warnings about "irreversible gestures" on Tehran's part, the stakes are high.