A six-minute analysis, filmed just before Friday’s announcement of the release of Iranian border guards by the Sunni insurgency Jaish ul-Adl, about the significance of the case for Iran’s politics, its relations with other countries, and its fears:
1. Domestic Insecurity: “This is a real nervousness that the border is not safe.”
2. Sense of Weakness Abroad: “Iran fears isolation — Tehran doesn’t necessarily have friends in dealing with this insurgency.”
3. Tension with Pakistan: “Iran worries that Islamabad has given in to US and Saudi pressure.”
4. The Political Battle: “One person’s crisis is another’s opportunity, in this case for the Revolutionary Guards in their fight for influence against President Rouhani.”
