"Colonialist mentality", I am assuming meant primarily for the one country leaving soon, Great Britain, and the other that wants to leave later, the United States. The only colonialists I see is the attempt, actually not going very well, for Iran to establish a protectorate in Iraq.

The US doesn't need to bomb, but the very possibility keeps Iran wary and the Left exorcised. Nations that claim that they will adopt guerilla warfare in the face of a foreign invasion have already told its citizens that the government cannot protect them. Essentially everyman for himself.

The US and the EU will be much more successful in continuing to strangle Iran's economy. High prices for oil will not make up for an inability to access world capital markets or the high cost of subsidizing consumer goods. Agreed, that the US and EU cannot frighten Iran into suicide but since it is a democracy then the current leadership better produce a stronger economy. You can't eat nuclear weapons or live inside bunkers.

How legitimate is any government that when faced with invasion immediately yells, "Head for the hills." If the US mounted a convential invasion or even a limited objective, say seizing the Shatt al-Arab Iran must maintain moral authority among its citizens and couterattack using its convential forces, which would be destroyed in place by the US.

Iran's mullahs very well could adopt assymetrical warfare but it will be missing three essential ingredients; no safe areas to refit, retrain or rest, no outside sources of capital to maintain the resistence and the lack of moral authority from a good chunk of the populace that will probably seek some type of accomodation with the US.

Iran's GDP has been stagnant for three years which means that the extra cash from oil is actually masking a shrinking economy. Iranian emigration is appraoaching levels not seen since the Shah was deposed. Its air force consists of ancient US and Soviet aircraft(including that seized from Saddam) without access, due to lack of capital, to parts or jet fuel(which Iran does not have the capability to refine). Air wings claimed as operational have not flown at all in months and in some cases the aircraft are sitting on flat tires.

In the Mouse That Roared the Duchy of Fenwick at first tried to surrender to the US but failed. Then they seized a scientist and his doomsday bomb and eventually forced the Soviets and the Americans to give up oodles of cash. I'm wondering how many times the mullahs have watched this film?

I'm actually not arguing in favor of an invasion but trying to point out the weakness of the Iranian postion. The Iran-Iraq War proves my point as Iraq launched attacks across the Shatt al-Arab and the Iranian army was forced to maintain territory, civilian morale and its moral authority, to adopt WWI tactics of frontal attacks across open terrain with little air, armor or artillery support to press any tactical advatage other than killing or being killed The gas attacks that Saddam so shamefully used were effective against massed groups of conscripted teenagers. Both sides showed an ability to kill large numbers of their own citizens for essentially a decade of stalemate. Strategically and tactically a catastrophe which neither side as yet recovered from and by looking at Iran's order of battle has not learned from.

The current government of Iran will be forced to confront any invader of its territory or lose any support from its educated and worldly middle class. How many of them are going to want to have their sons conscripted by a ruling elite, except Pres. Ahmadinjad who did serve honorably in combat, that will deposit itself or its sons in Paris for the duration?

Since Iran has to import refined petroleum products I doubt very seriously that many homes in California will notice its absence. Nuclear power does indeed make sense for Iran as its oil industry is inefficient and under-capitalized. The US might even be more understanding if the nuclear "power" plants that are built and the newer ones actually had transmission lines.

My own prediction is that Pres. Ahmadinejad will continue to lose popular and religious support and his replacement, with the backing of the mullahs and the voters, will make an offer that the EU and the US will find palatable. They will not get the same kind of deal NK got for the simple reason that the US might consider the Iranians difficult but not insane. Thus honorable and trustworthy enough that the EU and the US will hint at possible future trade and security opportunites for Iran once the weapons issue is negotiated.