(Los Angeles Times) One thing binds Iranians of all ideologies: a fervent belief in the Islamic Republic's right to its nuclear program. Even Iranians who oppose weapons development insist that the nation has a right to the technology. In a country that still tends to think of itself as a superpower, nuclear capabilities represent progress and modernity. The nuclear standoff with the West comes at a time when Iran's conservative mullahs have consolidated power and are running the country virtually unopposed. The brief spell of reformist fever and whispers of a cultural and international opening that swept the country in the late 1990s and early in this decade have been smothered, analysts say.
2004-12-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive