Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has placed the military firmly in control of his nation's nuclear program, undercutting his government's claim that the program is intended for civilian use, according to a leading opposition group.To translate: military officers have effectively taken over the government. I have seen recurring reports of military officers replacing officials in every level of government over the past few months. Analyses I have read (I don't remember where) suggest that Iran is anticipating a US invasion from the north of Iraq, along with decapitation strikes against the leadership, and is preparing accordingly.
Leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the force created specifically to defend the 1979 Islamic revolution, now dominate Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the country's top foreign policy-making body under the constitution.
I do not know whether we actually intend a full-scale invasion, though it seems a ham-handed way to go about things given everything else going on. But if Iran believes that we will invade, it dramatically narrows the possibilities for ending the current standoff, and not in a good way. This could be another self-fulfilling prophecy for war in a depressingly long line of them throughout history.
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