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Cracks in the Iranian Monolith

(Wall Street Journal) Michael Ledeen - A few weeks ago, the Iranian air force shot down three drones near Bushehr, where a Russian-supplied nuclear reactor has just started up. Expecting to find proof of high-altitude spying, when the Revolutionary Guards inspected the debris, they found that the air force had blasted Iran's own unmanned aircraft out of the sky. Apparently, according to official Iranian press accounts, the Iranian military had created a special unit to deploy the drones but hadn't informed the air force. In July, Mohammad Ali Jaffari, commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, admitted publicly that many top officers were supporters of the opposition Green Movement. Shortly thereafter, according to official government announcements, some 250 officers suddenly resigned. In the past weeks, several journalists from the Guards' FARS news agency have defected, some to France and others to the U.S. Meanwhile, Iran has suffered a series of attacks against its energy industry. An oil pipeline to Turkey was blown up last month, and there was an explosion in a natural gas pipeline near Tabriz. That was followed by a spectacular blast at the Pardis petrochemical plant in Assalouye. The same plant was similarly sabotaged six months ago. Opposition is fed by enduring social and economic crises. Unemployment last month reached 15% and is as high as 45% in some regions. In Tehran, health officials warned pregnant women and mothers of young children not to drink the water. Electrical failures are widespread. The writer is a scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
2010-08-24 07:23:14
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