Mal, it seems to me what goes on inside Iran is the kind of hate generating rhetoric that goes on in other countries, with the primary goal being maintaing or expanding internal power. With the escalating accusations on the part of the US government, a smaller country will almost always overstate its own threats.

Look at the behavior of Hussein near the end when he overstated his own power. I would not want to overgeneralize, but this appears to be a common pattern among smaller governments faced with the juggernaut of Western power.

Life is a banquet -- and most poor suckers are starving to death -- Auntie Mame
You are born naked and everything else is drag - RuPaul