Scary ...

The Iranian government, subject to increasing unrest at home, has announced that its latest missiles have a range of 2000 km (1300 miles).

This might not be such bad news were it not for the signs that Iran is engaged, not only in a project to build nuclear bombs, but in a project to create the necessary enriched uranium in a large number of dispersed centrifuges, making interdiction (as happened to Iraq's nuclear facility) by a third party difficult if not impossible.

Difficult one. There's a fair chance that the regime might collapse from within, and that taking out (if 'twere possible) the facilities might put back a liberal 'revolution'. Worst case there is that it starts a nuclear exchange.

Yet do nowt and former Iranian President Rafsanjani's prediction may come true.

"In due time the Islamic world will have a military nuclear device, and then the strategy of the West would reach a dead end, since one bomb is enough to destroy all Israel."

It would also destroy a lot of Palestinians and the '3rd holiest shrine in Islam', but as we've seen in Najaf, holy shrines don't seem to be quite so important if true believers are trashing them. Only the tread of the infidel causes outrage. For a Mullocracy on the way out, what better way to go than taking out Israel, or passing on the components for a small device to some third party ? Of course the third party may not have Israel as a first priority. There is the Great Satan and his lapdog Blair.

I suppose London could do with a makeover.

Keffiyeh-tip - Irene Adler