Wiping Israel off the Map

So everyone has now heard what the Islamic Republic of Iran's president said about wiping Israel off the map, but to be honest, I was baffled by the international reaction. Why all of a sudden such a strong reaction? What is new? Islamic Republic has always maintained that Israel should be wiped off the map. In fact when Ahmadinejad said the infamous quote, he was quoting Khomeini. His exact words were "...as Imam Khomeini rightly said, Israel should be wiped off the map".

Worse still Rafsanjani once said in his Friday prayer sermons, that only one nuclear warhead is enough to destroy Israel, and in return Israel can only partially destroy the Islamic world. Every year on the last Friday of Ramadan, Islamic Republic hosts Jerusalem Day marches not just in Iran but throughout the world, where chants of Death to Israel is shouted. Yet I don't recall such a strong reaction from the world leaders.

Could it be that the world has finally come to its senses and got over the false smiles of ex-president Khatami and sees the mullahs for what they are? Watching Newsnight program last night dashed all such hopes. Some stupid woman whom I cant remember her name but who was speaking as the head of some sort of strategic defence think thank - yes another Think not Thank - thought the West should engage in a dialogue with Iran!

The truth is sanctions will not work, military options are not on the agenda, bolstering separatism in Iran is futile and will strengthen the Mullahs. There is only one option; supporting the secular democratic opposition forces in Iran to bring about the change of regime in Iran. That's the only viable option.