Iran must certainly feel a bit of pressure right now. They are sandwiched between two American "armies" one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. They are also seeing signs of internal problems as pro-reformist activity continues to grow and many more of its citizens are becoming discouraged with the Islamic government. They want more freedom than the current government offers them and they are especially upset because their current President, Mohammad Khatami, has promised many things, in regards to reform that he can't deliver. However, it is hard to blame Khatami for his failures, the Ayatollah and his appointed government entities have made it difficult for any type of reform to actually happen.
These are going to be some trying times for Iran as well as the rest of the Middle East. Their involvement in the construction of nuclear reactors hadn't raised too many eyebrows until after President George Bush had labeled Iran, along with Iraq and North Korea as belonging to the "Axis of Evil". Even after that statement, all focus shifted to Iraq and the Bush administration concentrated its efforts to undermine and bring down that regime. Now that Iraq has been neutralized and the United States is sitting right next door, the focus has swung right on Iran and it is staying there. Now, the nuclear question is prominent in the minds of many in the Bush administration as well as the fears of a link between Al-Qaeda and Iran and the undermining of a new government in Iraq.
Some critics are attempting to pick apart the accusations that the United States is making against Iran. However, the facts speak for themselves. First, Iran is a known sponsor of terrorism. They hide their sponsorship only when it is convenient for them but they are not ashamed of the fact that they support such groups as HAMAS and Hizbollah both of which oppose the Israeli occupation. That being said, I feel that Iran's support of these two organizations alone would have to bring an adverse reaction from world governments including sanctions and possible military action.
