The Middle East At A Glance

In Tehran, the leading clerics are adamant; there is no power on Earth that could possibly persuade them to give up their nuclear ambitions. It is their divine right to continue. And they will not hesitate for one moment to consider the demands made of them through sanctions imposed by the criminal West to destroy their ambitions and their economy.

They will also continue to stamp ruthlessly on any internal opposition to the Khomeinist rule, for that too is their right. And any who might wish to intervene would soon be in a position to regret that decision on their part, for the hand of the Almighty would smite them ferociously, thanks to the prowess of the Republican Guard, Hezbollah and Hamas, all aligned in their unassailable mission to present the world with the might of Islam.

Slanderous accusations that the regime jails and tortures and disappears Iranian democracy activists are baseless.

In Libya, demonstrators are flooding the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi protesting against federalism. In the process torching markets, and proceeding to violently let their agnosticism toward a universal national government be well known and appreciated. Autonomy is required in those provinces where tribal influences and heritage are irrevocably in requirement of forming their own futures.

In Bahrain tens of thousands of Bahraini Shiites are taking part in an anti-government protests, despite earlier such protests having brought the combined strength of Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates troops into the capital and elsewhere to put down the insurrection. The Sunni minority led by their ruling Al Khalifa family which has imposed martial law remains quite firm in handling the situation; they will prevail.

Kofi Annan, dispatched by both the United Nations and the Arab League as a peace envoy to Syria has met with President Bashar al-Assad, urging a political solution to the grave situation resulting from the year-long uprising of Syrian Sunnis against the Shiite Alawite minority regime. Thousands of Kurds have demonstrated carrying banners reading "Save the Syrian people".

China and Russia steadfastly support their stalwart Middle East partner in peace and prosperity. A Russian diplomat patiently explained that President al-Assad was in the throes of battling al-Qaeda affiliates, and that some 15,000 foreign "terrorists" are wreaking havoc in the country, preying upon and murdering Syrian military members.

And, back to Iran; the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany have urged Tehran to permit the inspectors representing the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency to enter its Parchin military facility. To satisfactorily verify for themselves that no nuclear devices are being manufactured, no high explosives were detonated, no highly enriched uranium traces exist.

And Israel has been politely and unconvincingly, but of Western-imperative-necessity, asked to wait out the effects of diplomacy and sanctions. In response to which Israel, fearing annihilation, has requested that the United States consider releasing to it more advanced bunker buster bombs and the refuelling, heavy-lift planes to go along with them.

Or so it is rumoured.