Iran and Iraq

I am known to air the opposite views in a debate, which is commonly referred to as "acting the Devil's Advocate". I am a reader of the blog, written by the Iranian president. When you follow the link, you'll see a page written in Farsi. Click on "English" to change this.

I think it is important to keep an eye on the utterances of Mr Ahmadinajad, even if I don't like what he says. I am acutely aware of the increasing tensions in his part of the world, not helped by the plight of the 15 British naval personnel who strayed into disputed waters to investigate an Iranian boat. The sailors were apprehended in a part of the Persian Gulf that is claimed both by Iran and Iraq. I somehow don't think the British navy was aware of that. It has handed the Iranian hard-liners a perfect excuse for inflaming the situation even further.

If the Coalition forces (led by the US) had taken local sensitivities into account, the situation could have been avoided. They are obviously blind to the ruses of the Tehran regime, who will seek any excuse for a confrontation. Having already dealt the US a bloody nose in 1979, they can't wait to do it again. And attacking Iran is about the worst mistake the US administration could ever make.

As you can see on the president's blog, he is gleefully playing on the dissatisfaction that is growing in the US against the war in Iraq, a conflict that (in my opinion) is secretly being fuelled by arms from Iran. If George Bush has any sense, he'll drop the gunboat diplomacy and dons the kid gloves. He has plenty of friends in the region who can tell him how to do that. Just wonder if he has the intelligence to comprehend the instructions.

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