Iran Survey

Strategypage has a good piece surveying all things Iran.

Let me pick out some bits that I found particularly interesting.

Iran at least hasn't been able to really exploit the Iran deal to fix their economy yet.

Rebuilding the Persian empire isn't a high priority for most Iranians.

Despite Iran's hatred of Israel, all Iran is doing is pushing Israel and Arab states closer to resist Iran.

Hezbollah, which has 8,000 fighters in Syria, has suffered 2,000 KIA and 6,000 WIA as the spearhead of Assad's offensives. Iran continues to fight "Israel" to the last Arab.

Assad has turned over an air base in central Syria to Iran, which wants 5,000 Shia mercenaries to staff and protect it as a new Hezbollah in Syria.

Including Hezbollah, Iran has 24,000 mercenaries fighting in Syria, mostly from Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Assad has 200,000 troops, mostly suitable only for garrison duty. I assume this includes Syrian militias.

Iran is abiding by the nuclear deal to end their nuclear programs, they say. I don't think the narrow issue of abiding by the nuclear agreement is true. And the deal is so bad that even rigorous and successful enforcement of the deal terms won't stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons in facilities off limits to the provisions of the deal.

Saudi Arabia has lost their dispute with Qatar. (I still think Qatar will be moved somewhat off the fence toward the Gulf Arabs and America).

One of Iran's S-300 batteries is missing. So where is it?

Many Iraqis--even in the militias--are wary of Iran.

Iranian Kurds seem to be back in the armed resistance stage.

When Iran fired 6 ballistic missiles at ISIL in Syria in retaliation for terror attacks inside Iran, 4 of the missiles missed Syria and struck Iraqi territory according to the Israelis who pay close attention to these things.

There is more. That stuck out.

Basically, Iran under the mullahs is no friend and I don't think they can be.