This is John Batcheer. From a long conversation with my colleague Gregory Coppley, we address the report

that Iran has fired missiles and destroyed what is said to be alleged a headquarters of Masad in Iraqi Kurdistan. I ask Gregory what

this means for the conflict in general. He answers specifically this is not good news for the mullahs in Tehran.

Here's Gregory Coppley, Defense and Foreign Affairs explaining the Iranian decision to bombard an alleged headquarters of Mossad in Kurdistan

and how that could lead to the clerics in trouble?

Oh, it certainly does.

In fact, the clerics are being drawn in much against their will to direct exposure to both the

Israelis and the West. they took a risk by that attack on the Masad or the supposed

a Maasad liaison office in Iraqi Kurdistan and it will definitely result in some

responses from both Israel and from the United States. The problem is for the clerics, how do they contain that?

Because if they allow this to escalate,

then the clerics are really exposing themselves to danger.

They had just achieved a fairly strong economic outlook

based on their agreement with Russia to join the Russian controlled international

north-south transport corridor which linked trade from St. Petersburg in the west on the Atlantic more or less than

the Baltic and Atlantic down to the Indian Ocean and across to India.

This guarantees Iran a fairly interesting slice of a new economic zone and if this

war that's now underway escalates it could risk the control of Iran by the

clerics so the question is how far are they prepared to continue with this

brinkmanship.

More of this later.

Thank you.

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