Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad surprised not only many Westerners but also many Iranians when, during his first speech at the United Nations, he prayed for the hasty return of the Hidden Imam, the Mahdi, Shi‘i Islam s messianic figure.[1]
As Iran s nuclear program has developed, the Bush administration appeared to draw a red line: a nuclear weapons-capable Islamic Republic would be unacceptable. On August 8, 2004, for example, then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice told NBC News
The clerical regime in Iran is pursuing a deliberate strategy of coercion against Christians within its sphere of influence across the Middle East, designed to drive them out, according to a new report.