Iranian Mullahs Winning Hands Down

Conclusions Iranian special forces are hard at war in Lebanon are inescapable. Who else could have the level of sophistication to fire the ship to shore missile that disabled the Israeli warship.

What is more worrying is the Iranian hand dealt in Lebanon has ensured the UN has lost the initiative in taking action to stop the Iranian nuclear bomb programme. Clever, devious and ruthless pricks these mullahs. Every step of the way the Iranians have obsfuscated, lied and cheated their way in the international debate while they continued uranium enrichment. The Telegraph has a good analysis. On the eve of the G8 members demanding Iran stop its nuclear enrichment, Hezbollah (the Iranian proxy in Lebanon) kidnaps two Israeli soldiers with a predictable response from Israel. Quick as flash the world takes its focus from Iran to Lebanon. Mullahs 1 - RoW 0.

It may not all be bad for the West. The ferocity of the Israeli attack against Hezbollah AND Lebanese targets (destroying recent infrastrucuture) has meant that the Lebanese themselves (including the Lebanese PM et al) are demanding Hizbollah is kicked out. In that the Lebanese are now at one with the Israelis. That is not an outcome Tehran would have wanted.

News out today that Iranian officials are donkey deep with the North Korean missile programme just add to a general level of paranoia in the West.

These are of course Helen Clark's "benign strategic environment"