...sanctions which have isolated theocracy internationally. None of Iran's major projects now is bankable from the standpoint of international finance houses; this alone has caused a big drain on Tehran's resources, with the country's economy being depressed as a result of daily capital flights and mounting inflation.

With the rate of inflation in the country now said to exceed 25%, more than 22m Iranians are being classed independently as being below the poverty line. A big majority of Iran's 70m+ population is young and the rate of unemployment is said to have risen to about 15%.

At the same time, due to sharply rising costs worldwide, Tehran's nuclear and regional ambitions have become far more expensive than in the past two years; Iran is the main financier of the Assad regime in Syria, where more than 40% of the population are below the poverty line, and the various other members of the anti-US axis - such as Hizbullah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc.

While PM Maliki describes rogue Shi'ite militias as "terrorists worse than al-Qaeda", however, his legitimacy as a Shi'ite leader is being challenged by Iran-backed groups in the country. Maliki has found himself engaged in a proxy war with Iran, and the US is watching this as well as the groups challenging his legitimacy....

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.




More articles from APS Diplomat Strategic Balance in the Middle East
US-Iran Deal?, May 05, 2008

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