Iran frees Roxana Saberi

I don't claim to have an idea why the Iranian regime decided to free Roxana Saberi, the Iranian- (and Korean-) American journalist who was arrested in January and then charged with and convicted of espionage. As this Register editorial notes, however, it is genuine cause for celebration. I know only a few things I have read and haven't had a chance to talk witrh anybody with special expertise. My guess is that international pressure, especially from European countries with which Iran has a certain amount of trade, was the key. But it could be internal Iranian politics or any of several other possibilities -- not including a change in character of the Iranian regime. I'm certainly glad for her, but whether it has geopolitical significance I just don't know.

Iran convicts Roxana Saberi

I suppose there's at least some remote chance that Roxana Saberi, the young Iranian-American journalist working in Iran and arrested in January, actually was spying for the United States. She was just convicted of espionage and sentenced to 7 years. But I doubt it. I suspect that, as this now-apparently-pointless Register editorial suggested, that it had to do with looking hard-line and stirring up anti-American sentiment in advance of the June 12 election. Too bad. Sooner or later the U.S. and Iran are likely to have to come to some kind of terms -- assuming we aren't about to move into an era of strategic non-engagement, which might not be a bad thing but which I don't expect. But Iran keeps making it difficult.