Are they rubbing nose with the Americans?
It is definitely right that the priorities of the Iranian government now are not set correctly. There are lots of things they have to do for the country before attending to nuclear issues. For certain, this campaign for nuclear energy is not yielding any economic gain in the short run (and maybe not even in the long run). Yet, there is also another serious issue at stake. The Americans (i.e. the Neo-cons or rather the chicken hawks) are casting the image of an arrogant, self-centred bully in the international community. More than anything else, one can easily see the deep hatred of the neo-cons of the existing political system in Iran, which is very simply blinding them to the interests of humanity and the ordinary citizens of Iran. They would never mind if it is the nuclear issue or a different one. As long as their interests are not satisfied within this system, they shall continue to push this struggle. Even in theory, their politics is undermining democracy both domestically and internationally for the Americans. The United States is truly a cradle for democracy, but it appears that it may turn into the doomed grave of democracy as well. Power alone can never guarantee democracy. The power which makes democracy simply a guise for concealing its truly undemocratic methods is the prime enemy of democracy. Iran is definitely no worse than the Arab allies of the US in terms of human rights. I think it is the people of Iran who should deal with the nuclear issue rather than a bullying arrogant like the neo-con administration of Bush. I do not see any clear prospect for the people f Iran to love Americans once for good. Whatever they may do is conditional upon the happiness they receive. You cannot guarantee happiness for these people, as you could not do so in Afghanistan and Iraq. Let them deal with the issue their own way.