Taken together, the myriad developments are baffling. Iran says it has made advances in nuclear research, but wants to resume talks with the West. It is threatening to cut off oil supplies to Europe while allegedly sponsoring attacks against Israeli diplomats. German editorialists attempt to make sense of the confusion.
Is anyone at the controls in Iran? It is a question that many in the West are asking following this week's flurry of announcements, denials and conciliatory advances centering on the country's nuclear program. Perhaps even more vexing, however, is the fact that Tehran is also thought to be behind a series of decidedly amateurish attacks targeting Israeli diplomatic personnel in Georgia, India and Thailand.
"What we see is provocative acts … designed to distract attention from the demonstrated impact that (international) sanctions are having," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Wednesday. "It is not unusual for Iran to try to distract attention … by some burst of rhetoric or some announcement."
This story was posted on the German website spiegel.de yesterday...and is another Roy Stephens offering. The link is here.
