I doubt that Tehran is readying for conflict with the USA, but 
if there is a military build-up in the provinces bordering Iraq
it would be more likely that it is preparing to (attempt to)
destroy Israel (its "greatest historic task"?) in accordance
with Ezekiel 38 / 39. The USA will more than likely be involved
in that battle, especially if its forces remain in Iraq.

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Iran Readying for Conflict With US
Amir Taheri

Incredible though it may sound there are signs that Tehran may be
preparing for a military confrontation with the United States, and 
has convinced itself that it could win.

The first sign came last June with the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
as president of the Islamic Republic, an event that completed the
conquest of all levers of power by the most radical elements of the
establishment.

Since then the revolutionary factions have conducted a little
publicized purge of the military, the security, the civil service, 
and state-owned corporations and media.

The most significant purges have affected the military high command.

Among those replaced are the defense minister, the commander-in-chief
of the regular army and his four deputies, 11 senior commanders of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and five commanders of the
paramilitary Mobilization of the Dispossessed. Some of the purged
officers have been "parked" in a mysterious new organ called "The
Defense Guidance Commission" attached to the office of the "Supreme
Guide" Ayatollah Ali Khamenehi.

The minister of intelligence and security and the minister of the
interior, who controls the police and the gendarmerie, have also 
been replaced.

Another sign that Tehran may be preparing for war is the appointment
of military officers to posts normally held by civilians, such as
governors, mayors and directors of major public corporations.

But, perhaps, the surest sign yet is the military build up under way
in the five provinces bordering Iraq. The region, with a population of
20 millions, has been put under the control of the IRGC which has also
taken over units of the regular army, including the 88th Division, and
the border police. Iran is estimated to have 250,000 troops in the
area, its biggest military build-up since the end of the Iran-Iraq 
war in1988 .

[... long scenario about conflict with USA deleted ...]

The Islamic Republic is now free to proceed to address what
Khamenehi has described as its "greatest historic task" which
is the destruction of Israel.

Sounds outlandish? Well, it is. The Islamic Republic is a fragile
structure in a zone of political earthquakes. Logically, the last
thing it should want is war. Nevertheless, former President Muhammad
Khatami has warned that Tehran may be boxing itself into a position 
in which it will either have to surrender or fight. 

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Source: "Arab News"
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=70217&d=17&m=9&y=2005


Cheers, Steve..

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