Iranian accuses "The West" of meddling

Iran is accusing "The West" of meddling.

Of course, whenever one of these countries who hate the United States say "The West," it seems they really just mean the United States and their allies.

In this case, they are saying that "state-run media" is sowing the discontent:

Speaking to reporters, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi alleged that foreign media organizations, such as CNN and the BBC, were mouthpieces of their respective governments that were exaggerating reports of police clashes with protesters who have demonstrated daily since the June 12 race.

He also said that government-run news sites, such as the Iranian Student's News Agency, had been hacked in recent days and implied foreign outlets were behind it.

I don't think that CNN or any cable news network, for all their flaws, are state-run media (despite the Pentagon's best efforts).

But this criticism from Iran shows that things are serious. And it also shows that if President Barack Obama hadn't been so restrained in responding to the situation, the Iranians would have an example to point at and say, "See! The President of the United States is sowing discontent!"

This is what would happen if Obama listened to hawkish cheerleaders like the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby or Republican ideologue Rich Galen and strongly denounced the Iranian government and called for new elections and did a host of unnecessarily hawkish things.

Other, less partisan or anti-Obama driven analysts have praised Obama for his restraint.

So what can the United States, the West, and outside powers do to help? One key action is to take a public stance of continued restraint. Let Khamenei and Ahmadinejad further discredit themselves with false claims and xenophobic nonsense. Wait to take open action until it is clear what kind of official action can really make a difference.

In other words, cowboy diplomacy, as was the M.O. under George W. Bush, wouldn't be helpful here.