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Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article5671583.ece
Iran Embattled
[Times-UK] Editorial - Since Obama's election, Iran has undertaken a series of actions that appear calculated to sabotage any detente with the West. State media have poured scorn on promised change in Washington. Iran has stepped up its delivery of weapons to Hamas. Nuclear research has continued apace, as Western experts predict that Iran is on the verge of weapons capability. On Monday, Iran launched a domestically manufactured satellite with technology that could be adapted for nuclear warheads. In many ways the latest provocations are a welcome sign that the hardliners are on the defensive. With falling income and an unproductive oil industry crippled by Western sanctions, rising unemployment and economic stagnation, popular anger is rising. Iran's policies have antagonized other Muslim nations, including most Arab countries that see it as a long-term threat.