Israeli Strategic Center admits IRI is unrivaled  http://www.qodsna.com/NewsContent-id_43350.aspx  Important changes in IRI's regional status in recent years have in many ways expanded its influence in the Middle East and accelerated its drive to confirm its status as a regional power with a leading role in the Muslim world, the Institute for National Security Studies of Israel (INSS) said in its latest report to Tel Aviv officials. "This ambition rests on Iran's being a key country in the region, positioned at an important geo-strategic junction and boasting an ancient culture and imperial past. Iran's territory and its population are among the largest in the Middle East. It has great economic potential and the capability of building impressive military power," said the report.The report further said that the US threat further push Tehran towards expanding its military might and clout in the region."The Islamic Republic believes that building Iran as a regional power requires it to defend the Muslim world, promote its interests, and use it as an element of Iran's power," it added.Several opportunities in Iran's strategic environment in recent years have enabled the Islamic Republic to become a regional power, the report said, and explained, "Iran, the most prominent representative of the Shii community in the Muslim world, is aided by the fact that the Shii weight has risen in the past decade, mostly as a result of developments in Iraq and Lebanon, despite their being a small minority in the Arab world.""Second, Iraq has disappeared as a key player in the Persian Gulf."In the current situation, there is no regional player capable of countering Iran's expanded influence in the area. Both Saudi Arabia and the small Persian Gulf countries lack the ability to constitute a regional counterweight to Iran, and they have turned to the US to arrest Iran's progress."[ALSO SEE... Iran ready to use its missile systems ,They are for the ''defense of the Islamic world'' http://thenakedfacts.blogspot.com/2011/06/iran-ready-to-use-its-missile-systems.html Iran blasts US, allies on WMD arsenal http://english.iribnews.ir/newsbody.aspx?ID=14414 Commander: All US, Israeli Bases within Iran's Missile Range http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9004074047