COMMENT As passionate street protests erupt in parts of Tehran at what looks, prima facie, like an assisted landslide to re-elect Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad in a highly contested presidential vote, only one thing is clear: Iran’s ruling theocrats are taking a huge gamble with the future of the Islamic Republic.
Domestically, they are patching up a dam that is starting to burst with pent-up desire for change. Abroad they are courting isolation: Barack Obama’s hand, remember, was extended to those who would unclench their fists – not, on the face of it, what has just happened.
