This is all a game. I disagree that Russia preferred Khatami to Ahmedinejad. Quite the reverse. Ahmedinejad is the first non-clerical president of Iran since revolution, and has tackled the clerical corruption. Khatami, Rafsanjani, belong to the wealthy clerical establishment, getting enriched through oil, trade and banking. Now, situation has changed. It has been only one year ago that Ahmedinejad managed to get the Parliament approve his ousting of Rafsanjani's oil minister. Bit by bit, Iran is getting rid of corruption, and is tying its economy to Asia. That does not suit pro-Western wealthy clerics with bank accounts in the West. This is why Ahmedinejad's reelection was attacked. Not that he did not win, and win handsomely, but only to throw the question of legitimacy. But in Iran, the northern Teheran Gucci crowd does not carry that much weight as here in US. Russia's policy will not change. The "sanctions" that are watered down, serve only to prolong the crisis. This severely weakens Israel and US. And as the time goes by, the options are more limited, and the risks to US greater. I love the "analysis' that comes from various notable analysts. They are laughable. If they cannot see the relationship between North Korea "crisis" and Iran "crisis" in this theater of the absurd, then they just do not get it! Do they think that the change in Japan is just a fluke, and that US weakened position in Asia has nothing to do with it? Japan is going out to fend for itself. And soon, we will see Germany doing likewise. Latin America has moved in it own direction already. Only an analyst, so mesmerized by the day-to-day moves on the chessboard, cannot see the forest for the trees.