TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian officials convened in Tehran today to discuss the latest developments in the U.S. aggression toward their country, sources related. "The statement that an attack on our soil is 'not on the agenda at this point' sounds exactly like President Bush's assurance that there was 'no war plan against Iraq on his desk' in the months leading up to that attack," said one anonymous source, "And it is our opinion that similar signals are now coming out of Washington." A formal apology is expected to be requested from Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

"I have no war plans on my desk." -- President Bush, less than a year before the 2nd Gulf War

"Apology?" said White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, "For what? Secretary Rice has made it clear that there is no attack on the agenda, how can this be misconstrued to be anything but an assurance of peace?"

"The Bush administration has caused the U.S. to lose credibility in the Muslim world," explained Dr. Philip Callahan, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, "His 'there are no war plans on my desk' comment has been played and replayed on Arab television, and the same wording was used on several different occasions prior to the Gulf War, so there is a certain amount of disingenuousness attributed to anything that comes out of the White House. To put it bluntly, they think 'we don't want a war' is our way of signaling that a war is coming. And asking for other nations' help toward 'peace' sounds very much like forming a 'coalition'."

Iran's disdain for the U.S. runs deep, and no love is lost between the two countries. However, analysts agree that this situation is very different from the one that led up to war with Iraq. "Politically, it is a much more stable country," said Edward Chiles, political analyst for the Boston Globe, "We may not agree with their style of governing, but there is little in the way of uprising or rebellion. Moreover, absolute power is not as concentrated on one man, as it was in Iraq. War under these circumstances makes little sense."

"If I were Iran, I'd keep my eyes open," rebutted Tomas Banques, freelance political adviser, "They are paranoid and none too trusting of the U.S. in general, that's true. But I have to agree that there is certainly a feeling of deja vu in hearing the comments from Rice."
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