It seems more like a black market smuggling operation highlighted by foreign press because indeed the words "isotope" and "Iran" do well for selling news. This needs only the smallest bit of encouragement, if any at all, by intelligence agencies.

Where news media in general seems to fail massively in this instance is in providing easy to get by background details on the material, the medical isotope industry and the black market situation. But that is part of a larger problem: that of journalism not requiring investigation at all anymore. Just publish fast, verify briefly and remain "current". It's the problem of the "shallows".

It's not entirely impossible the Iranians purpose was to test some of their defense systems which obviously will revolve around jamming and discouraging any electronic craft, missile and drone sent their way. What you see there then is the fruit of many years of labor. The technique might not be perfect yet but can already fulfill some purpose by demonstrating a potential defense capability. Modern electronic-packed jets, drones and missiles will think twice perhaps before entering now? Makes precision bombing a way more messy affair if you cannot go in and mark the targets or the danger of your jets flying blind while your opponent will not.

Thanks Lion, but that's pretty well known stuff. My entry was actually playing with the neoconservative lingo like the Hudson Institute and RAND corporation has literary spit out at times. It could give some insight on how at least *some* policy wonks in the US might view the matter. And they might be right! A shift in balance will endanger the very things they are so eager to protect. No doubt about it. And they know that Iran is the hub of the day.

"why does the US hate Iran?" - or why do some global power brokers distrust it?

Iran as current "tactical pivot" as its ascent would flip the former "pivot" Iraq into a reverse effect, with Egypt and Palestine "prices" combined will shift crucial economical and geopolitical balances in the Middle East and North Africa toward Russia and China (a danger to certain US/global trade/wars as well as US-Israel relationships).

In the mean while Saudi Arabia and UAE need to be propped up economically and politically.

So much fantasy has not been broadcasted on a major news outlet since, I dunno, Orson Well's "War of the Worlds" on October 30 1938, CBS radio. Not counting Fox of course.

Of course, that was radio drama and apart from some people fleeing their homes, no real damage was done. Although surely no one will run out of their house here, one can wonder how many readers and journalists will flee out of their mind by even considering in the slightest this attempt to invoke some kind of Cuba missile crisis atmosphere on us.

Is this opinion piece a sign of desperation from a war conspiracy or a sign of major news outlets becoming the equivalent of Speaker's Corner, Hide Park, London? Final sign of intellectual bankruptcy in both cases.

War as the systematic failure. Like with Baudrillard's "objective irony": the near certain probability systems will collapse by their own systematics. The system here being like a "systematic ideology", not only Latter Day Americanism but perhaps the more encompassing Late Modernism.

War as changing agent. But not the agent of choice, not the way nature prefers: it's the darkness that sets in when changes are being prolonged for too long: systematic failures proliferate...

Leadership changes mean nothing if the underlying structure and relations do not facilitate the needed changes. It's quite possible MQ represented "golden decades" for a technically fractured Libya and the 'mad dogs' were here the rebels without a plan. Dreaming of Western money and investments flowing in. Or Russian, or Chinese.. Anything to sell their assets to, anything to repair the new rifts and damages. But if the world economy keeps tanking, this might not materialize. Enjoy the freedom to complain in relative peace for now!

In my experience people from Middle-Eastern countries surprisingly often wire small and larger sums money to family or receive support from family, when abroad. The family member with money feels strongly obligated to help the ones who are in need of some funding. Although it often goes from West to Middle-East, in the case of the near broke Arbabsiar it might have easily went the other way. It's a very strong cultural thing especially within Iraq and Iran, where the ones who fled or emigrated are often connected to reasonable wealthy and educated families. This broad loyalty is number one priority and obligation for these people, with hardly any questions asked.

In that light the wire transfer in itself is not unlikely at all, assuming the cousin was indeed wealthy. But I'm afraid it's more likely Arbabsiar got stuck in his own web of lies and now rather goes with this to him suggested plot than just admitting it was all stemming from his own confused mind and that he thereby implicated the ones he cared for on a whim.

Even assuming the wire transfer was real, it's not an unusual or unexpected thing at all. The known evidence appears still to revolve around the thoughts of one confused, desperate man who might rather die than reveal his potential grave and humiliating lack of common sense and disregard for his own family.

As an alternative to complete idiocy being in charge, I'm entertaining the thought - nearly a wish - that this is actually an intricate trap set by Iran's intelligence agency, setting up a dimwit fellow countryman and hoping the Washington zealots would run with it and make utter fools of themselves. To shame them, toy with them.

Then again, what is worse: idiots digging their own grave and accidentally falling into it or others digging it and waiting for idiots to fall into the pit. Blindness is the case in both instances.

That sounds right on the money. Russia annulled 12 billion worth of debt in 2008, and will expect compensations in regards to oil and weapon industry. Saddam always was a loyal customer too (actually the billions of debts were caused that way). This way, a decade old strategy comes to fruition for Russia in regards to Iraq. It's also a more natural alliance, historically, politically and even culturally somewhat.