The Leveretts comment on Western interpretations of yesterday's events.

In sum, the Islamic Republic is not going away. It is remarkable how many Green Movement supporters outside Iran are now claiming that no one among them ever talked about "regime change" or the Islamic Republic's "implosion". But many pro-opposition pundits have, in fact, spoken frequently in recent months about the imminent possibility of the Islamic Republic's disappearance. These assessments were, clearly, wrong. The erroneous analyses of those who have worked so hard in Washington to promote this view should not go unremarked now.

Economist article.

WHEN a motorcycle was blown up by remote control in Tehran last month, killing Masoud Alimohammadi, a professor of physics, the regime blamed "the triangle of wickedness" -- Israel, America and their "hired agents".

It is no secret that America, Israel and European countries are seeking to impede Iran's nuclear plans, overtly and covertly. Yet the assassination theory was widely dismissed. The professor's known works on particle and theoretical physics did not seem central to Iran's nuclear programme. And his name had appeared on a list of Iranian academics favouring Iran's protest movement. So, ran the prevailing theory, Israel or America had little reason to kill him, though Iranian hardliners may have wanted to do so.

But listen to the whispers of Western spies and diplomats, and the Iranian regime may turn out to be right. Well-placed sources in two Western countries now say the professor was "one of the most important people involved in the programme".

Entertaining reminiscence from John Snow.

Somewhere on the coast of the Caspian, the Americans had built an early warning "listening" station -- a series of golf ball shaped domes from which they monitored Russian nuclear tests in the Urals on the other side of the sea.

I had spotted the profiles of the golf balls ten years earlier as a student.

New York Times report.

As security forces clashed with his opponents, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran was quoted on Thursday as saying his country had produced a first batch of uranium enriched to a level of 20 percent, taunting the West by declaring that if Tehran wanted to build a nuclear bomb, it would say so.

Laura Rozen in Politico.

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns is heading to Lebanon and Syria, amid growing tensions between Israel and Lebanon and the U.S. considering returning a U.S. ambassador to Damascus.

A former senior U.S. official aware of the trip described its purpose as "Iran, what else?"

From Iran Unfiltered.

Opposition website Jaras reports that Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had a lengthy private meeting Tuesday with Leader Ali Khamenei in which he complained about "embarrassing" government acts, in particular the continued detention of senior Mousavi aide (and son of a regime founding figure) Ali-Reza Beheshti. Beheshti has been released today, just one day after the alleged Rafsanjani-Khamenei session.

Trita Parsi and Alireza Nader in Foreign Policy.

History shows that intervention is easier said than done. Past U.S. attempts to sway Iranian internal affairs -- such as the CIA-fomented 1953 coup d'état against a democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh -- have proven costly for U.S. interests. Most notably, Washington's support for the shah fueled the 1979 Islamic Revolution, inspiring anti-Western movements in Pakistan, Egypt, and beyond.

Haaretz report.

Four-star General Kevin Chilton was in Israel last week. He is head of the U.S. Strategic Command, whose sphere of operations includes responsibility for missiles on submarines and in underground silos, as well as bombers and satellites, and computer-network warfare. If American forces were to take part in an offensive campaign against Iran, Chilton would play a significant part in preparing them for battle and in long-distance missile launches, although responsibility for the theater itself would be retained by Gen. David Petraeus, of Central Command.

The Leveretts comment.

Amidst the bravado surrounding President Ahmadinejad's announcement that Iran will start enriching uranium to 20 per cent purity, the Financial Times reported yesterday that China has passed the European Union as Iran's largest trading partner.

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The finding is indicative of a broader trend: China's growing willingness to work with the Islamic Republic, despite objections from the United States and Europe.

In Foreign Policy.

They're back! The "Bomb Iran" crowd is making a big return to the political center stage after months of puzzlement over what to do about developments in the Islamic Republic. Hawks such as Daniel Pipes and John Bolton are arguing that Iran is dead-set on its pursuit of a nuclear arsenal -- and point to developments such as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's announcement this weekend that Iran would enrich its uranium stocks to 20 percent to argue that diplomatic avenues have reached a dead end.

The Leveretts comment.

Today, however, Tehran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) -- and President Ahmadinejad announced publicly yesterday -- that Iran would begin working to enrich its own uranium to the near-20 percent level required to fabricate new fuel for the TRR.

In response to this announcement, the Obama Administration and its European partners have been flailing like the proverbial headless chicken.

Reuters report.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke to leaders in Turkey, Italy and France about the "urgent need" to move forward on sanctions as soon as possible, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

Juan Cole comments.

It is a trick of the Washington Establishment to scare apparently easily frightened Americans into a conviction that some small, poor, third world country is a dire threat to the most massively funded and armed military in the world. Repeating falsehoods is one way the Big Lie is implanted, that then allows US belligerence to be unquestioned at home.

The Leveretts comment.

It is hard to avoid concluding that the Obama Administration is deliberately overstating its alleged "progress" in persuading Moscow to support tougher sanctions against Iran.

Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic.

In a phrase: AIPAC's foreign policy, with Cheney's torture regime in place, to back it up. She has already stated that she wants more Israeli settlements and more Israelis in the West Bank, and is now hinting that she would also like a full-scale war with Iran.

AFP report.

Iran said on Sunday its Internet connections will remain slow this week due to technical problems, ahead of anticipated protests by opposition supporters. Connections have been slow since last week and some email accounts have been unavailable for several hours each day.