Another Battle in Iran

From the BBC this morning:

Iran could abandon the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if forced to limit nuclear activities, its hardline president says.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said if the rights of the Iranian people were violated, Iran would "revise its policies".

He made the comments in a speech marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Further threats from Iran's president. Conciliatory words from its former president (AP via Tom Bevan, RCP):

The Islamic world is fed up with violence and extremism in the name of religion and is ready for an era of progressive, democratic Muslim governments, former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami said Friday.

There may be a battle going on within Iran, or it might be a game of good cop, bad cop for the gullible West.
Victor David Hanson in National Review:

First, millions of brave reformers in the Muslim world are trying each day to create a tolerant culture and a consensual society. What those in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Egypt want from us is not appeasement that emboldens the radicals in their midst, but patient, careful, and firm explanations that freedom is precious and worth the struggle — even though its use can sometimes bother us. Surely the lesson from Eastern Europe applies: the oppressed there did not appreciate the realpolitik and appeasement of many in the West, but most often preferred a stalwart Reagan to an equivocating Carter.

So we need to keep the pressure on Iran that their nuclear weapons development is unacceptable.

Update: Here is an excellent website tracking Iran.