I'm not talking about the stock market.
Remember all the media coverage and outrage over the Iranian Presidential election in early-mid June? The crowds have been quieted as a result of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and other Government support establishment intervention, but while the demonstrations have mostly been stopped, it's not as quiet as it seems.
The internal political upheaval the presidential election created has not diminished. In fact, it seems to be just as fragile as ever.
In the past few weeks, the reelected President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has come under pressure over his VP appointment of a controversial friend and relative, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie. This appointment has since been rescinded, but not without causing more damage to his political aspirations.
The hard-line hostility to Ahmadinejad, primarily from clerics, has more to do with the Presidents defiance against the supreme leader over his VP nomination that against the President himself. Suffice it to say there is a lot of political maneuvering still going on since the election, and many influential members are not particularly comfortable that their positions within the political establishment.
Keep in mind that when the Presidential election was challenged, it forced a riff within the political system, with members rallying around both the President and his challengers. If one side gains a clear advantage over the other, retribution may be levied against those on the short end of the stick.
The internal political structure the Iran is very complicated and there is no way to know how things will finally play out. However, the West has set a deadline of mid-September for the Iranians to come to the table on the nuclear issue. Their behavior on the foreign policy front leading up to that event may set in motion some interesting options.
It was not too long ago that an Israeli submarine traversed the Suez Canal. This was an unusual maneuver meant to show strategic reach in the face of Iran's Presidential election of Ahmadinejad and his nuclear agenda.
Also in recent weeks, Hezbollah has been making serious preparations for a possible Israeli attack, which if proven true, might signal a larger conflict looming, namely Iran, as Hezbollah is Iran's strongest military asset.
Nothing is a foregone conclusion here and there are many factors that may change the current assessment as Iranian politics play out. But the Iranian nuclear issue is hardly dead and its final outcome has major implications for all concerned.
Remember all the media coverage and outrage over the Iranian Presidential election in early-mid June? The crowds have been quieted as a result of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and other Government support establishment intervention, but while the demonstrations have mostly been stopped, it's not as quiet as it seems.
The internal political upheaval the presidential election created has not diminished. In fact, it seems to be just as fragile as ever.
In the past few weeks, the reelected President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has come under pressure over his VP appointment of a controversial friend and relative, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie. This appointment has since been rescinded, but not without causing more damage to his political aspirations.
The hard-line hostility to Ahmadinejad, primarily from clerics, has more to do with the Presidents defiance against the supreme leader over his VP nomination that against the President himself. Suffice it to say there is a lot of political maneuvering still going on since the election, and many influential members are not particularly comfortable that their positions within the political establishment.
Keep in mind that when the Presidential election was challenged, it forced a riff within the political system, with members rallying around both the President and his challengers. If one side gains a clear advantage over the other, retribution may be levied against those on the short end of the stick.
The internal political structure the Iran is very complicated and there is no way to know how things will finally play out. However, the West has set a deadline of mid-September for the Iranians to come to the table on the nuclear issue. Their behavior on the foreign policy front leading up to that event may set in motion some interesting options.
It was not too long ago that an Israeli submarine traversed the Suez Canal. This was an unusual maneuver meant to show strategic reach in the face of Iran's Presidential election of Ahmadinejad and his nuclear agenda.
Also in recent weeks, Hezbollah has been making serious preparations for a possible Israeli attack, which if proven true, might signal a larger conflict looming, namely Iran, as Hezbollah is Iran's strongest military asset.
Nothing is a foregone conclusion here and there are many factors that may change the current assessment as Iranian politics play out. But the Iranian nuclear issue is hardly dead and its final outcome has major implications for all concerned.
