What Iran wants

Investor's Business Daily:

With each passing day, the Iranians' game becomes clearer — intimidate Europe, buy off Russia and China, isolate the U.S. diplomatically and go about becoming a nuclear power. Will they get away with it?

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Tuesday warned Europe against interfering with its plans to become a nuclear power. The warning was timely, coming just days before a U.N.-sponsored meeting in Paris to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

"I'm telling you in plain language that from now on, if you try, whether in your propaganda or at international organizations, to take steps against the rights of the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation will consider it an act of hostility."

The message is clear: Either Europe stands aside to let Iran develop a bomb or Iran will get medieval on Europe. That's something that Iran, which is run by medievalist mullahs, understands.

Unless Europe sides with the U.S. on this, Iran is about to become a nuclear power. As Ahmadinejad said, Iran is in the "final phase" of achieving the "nuclear peak." The threat couldn't be clearer.

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... Be clear about one thing: Russia's real partner is Iran, not the West. Russia has billions of loans out to the mullahs. It has more billions in contracts to build Iran's nuclear plants, like the Bushehr facility due to switch on next year.

Russia is also selling Iran anti-aircraft missiles, with which Iran will someday be able to shoot down American and possibly even European planes — assuming Europe hasn't gone out of business by then. Russia has already chosen sides.

As for China, it has inked numerous oil and gas deals with Iran. It badly needs energy to fuel its near 10% GDP growth, and it won't let a little thing like Iran's nuclear weapons get in the way.

With the West in diplomatic disarray, Iran is stirring up trouble among its neighbors. It holds sway over Iraq's Shiite-dominated government, and backs many militias that terrorize Iraq's cities.

Iran's aid for Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and the West Bank continues apace. Just four months after Israel's brutal fight with Hezbollah guerrillas ended in a cease-fire, Iran is again sending rockets back to southern Lebanon. It wants another war.

Despite all this, the U.S. is unlikely to attack Iran. Outside of one political party in the U.S., the will just isn't there. We're not helpless, however. We can push back. Here's how:

We can start with more Voice of America-style broadcasts in Iran. The anger among Iran's people is explosive, since just 51% of the population is Persian. The Azeris, Kurds, Arabs and other ethnicities that make up the rest of the population have lots of grievances.

We can also support opposition groups inside Iran — groups that may someday topple the mullahs. Similarly, the CIA should forge ties with democratically minded people on the fringes of power — in government, in the Majlis, in the military — who might someday replace the mullahs.

Nor should military action be ruled out. While it's true we're unlikely to invade Iran, given our current commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, that doesn't mean we can't bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. And if we really want to twist Iran's arm, we could threaten to cut off the 4 million barrels of oil a day it sells to the rest of the world. Iran uses oil to blackmail other countries all the time. Why not turn the tables?

A bombing campaign against Iran should not be limited to its nuclear facilities. It should be aimed at destroying its ability to make war and sustain its regime. Its weapons systems should be destroyed as well as the infrastructure for producing them. Its import of gasoline should also be curtailed. Iran is a weak power with pretensions and with an aggressive virulent bunch of religious bigots in control. They have their fantasy, but we should not accept it.