Iran announces construction of 10 new uranium processing facilities - ok - provocation or feint? Or both? Or simply cavalier bravado? Feint - in order to throw smoke across the network of secret facilities like one revealed at Qom - also, since such a ramp up in production would seem to be overkill, new construction likely for dummy facilities whose sole purpose would be to seriously complicate any plans Israel may have concerning a military intervention. Feint/decoy makes sense I suppose.
But what would be the purpose of a provocation? True, a feint in and of itself amounts to a provocation as well - but if provocation is the main motive, to what end? Don't see it - which means it must be the feint/decoy - could it be the more bravado and disdain they show in the face of Western opposition the sweeter will be their victory when Obama eventually backs down? There's something of a logic there if one has concluded that Obama brings nothing to the table worth fearing.
Still, if we agree that it amounts to a provocation regardless of how one parses it, what would that say about the regime and how it views itself, the capabilities of its enemies and the calculations of its friends, either announced or standing coyly off stage? It's hard to come up with an answer to that question that doesn't cause worry.
