Meanwhile, Iran is getting all mellow and stuff

[Liar]

Un-denying the Holocaust, penpaling Obama, swearing off nukes... officially anyways.

Otoh, Hamas seems to think the new Prez might be good news. Apparently Ahmadinejad was a dick to them too.

Politics. It's weird.

 

[ishtat]

Un-denying the Holocaust, penpaling Obama, swearing off nukes... officially anyways.

Otoh, Hamas seems to think the new Prez might be good news. Apparently Ahmadinejad was a dick to them too.

Politics. It's weird.

Sanctions biting perhaps?

Iran doesn't care tuppence about Hamas (Sunni and ineffective) Hezbollah are Tehran's boys, remember they gave Israel a bloody nose in Lebanon a few years back.

Assad will never be a regional (Allawite Shia) power broker again. Turkey is riven with internal strife at the moment, I suspect Iran is playing a longer game to reassert their old regional dominance. And never forget that most of the oil in Iraq and in Saudi Arabia is in Shia dominated areas. I think the Iranians are reverting to real politik.

 

[Liar]

Sanctions biting perhaps?

Sancions were probably biting before too if they ever were going to, but the last guy was famous for doubling down and betting on nationalist populism against pragmatism.

Maybe they.re also seeing that Russia isn't willing to be a firewall against the world for any and all shennannigans anymore.

 

[Recidiva]

I genuinely hope they can shake off the identity stigma, get on with infrastructure and social change and get that nuclear weapon that will give them a seat at the table with the other countries who gained the weapon through treaties.

I'm rooting for Iran, I believe they've had an unfair standard applied to them that wasn't applied to other nations because they were friendlier to the USA but no more virtuous.