FROM THE WONDERFUL GUYS WHO GAVE YOU MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD – AT 10:51A.M. ET:  I guess they felt they weren't making themselves clear.  From Reuters:

Iran could make European countries suffer by cutting off energy supplies and can target any adversary with its missiles, a senior Iranian military official said on Sunday.

Iran is locked in dispute with the United States and its allies over its nuclear energy program which Western countries fear is aimed at allowing Iran the chance to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran says it is only interested in electricity.

"Iran is standing on 50 percent of the world's energy and should it so decide Europe will have to spend the winter in cold," Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, said in a meeting with war veterans and volunteers in Kerman, according to Fars news agency.

"Our missiles are now able to target any spot in which the conspirators are in, and the country is making advances in all fields," he said.

COMMENT:  Let's see how the Europeans react to this direct threat, a threat of a missile attack.  Europe doesn't have a great record of reacting firmly, unless the United States is holding its collective hand.  And the American grip, under Obama, has become weaker.

This is a direct challenge.  The Iranians are probing Western intentions and strength.

February 28, 2010