Iran faces a series of dilemmas and unsolved problems in its foreign policy. I'll simply identify these as I cannot predict how they will turn out. Foremost of these is Iran's relationship with Israel. Under the shah, Iran had a close relationship with Israel. During that time, the Israeli ambassador was one of the most influential diplomats in Tehran. When the revolutionaries came to power, they not only threw out the Israelis but also handed over the Israeli embassy in Tehran to the Palestinians. The Iranians have subsequently taken the position that they are "more Palestinian than the Palestinians." They frequently call for more extreme outcomes in the Arab-Israel dispute than those demanded by the two main parties.

The extreme rhetoric that Iran uses regarding the Palestinian-Israeli circumstances creates real problems. It obviously makes relations between Iran and Israel difficult. It also poisons Iran's relationship with the United States, which listens closely to what Iran says on this subject. In a sense, Iran has the advantage of being just far enough away geographically that it does not play a direct role in the conflict. But by saying anything they feel like, the Iranians still cause real problems for the other nations involved. They also create a set of circumstances in which Israel is likely to view Iran as its principal enemy in the Middle East, ultimately raising the potential for military as well as political confrontation. It's a dangerous situation.

I think that the Iranian leadership underestimates the degree of damage that its rhetoric inflicts on its foreign policy. There is no question that the Iranians genuinely believe what they say. It's not just the hard-liners who support these extreme views. For their part, the Iranian people probably regard the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a matter of limited interest. Israel has no effect on their daily lives. They're much more interested in jobs and personal welfare than in the latest developments in Israel and Palestine. However, the people do not argue with their government on this subject.