FRENCH: IRAN PLAYS A STABILIZING ROLE

Vive la Stabilité! (WSJ-BOTW)
"Iran's hardline forces should get ready to take revenge on Israel and the United States for the offensive on Lebanon, the head of the Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Sunday," Reuters reports from Tehran:

"The Basij and Revolutionary Guards should prepare to get even with the Zionists and Americans," Yahya Rahim-Safavi was quoted as telling Islamic militiamen by the conservative Fars news agency.

The Basij are volunteer Islamic militiamen.

Compare and contrast with this Ha'aretz report:

Iran is a significant, respected player in the Middle East which is playing a stabilizing role, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Monday, during a visit to Lebanon.

"It was clear that we could never accept a destabilization of Lebanon, which could lead to a destabilization of the region," Douste-Blazy said in Beirut.

"In the region there is of course a country such as Iran--a great country, a great people and a great civilization which is respected and which plays a stabilizing role in the region," he told a news conference.

Another Reuters dispatch reports that Fars "later withdrew the story" about Tehran's threatening Israel and the U.S., saying "these quotations should be retracted." Well, that's a relief--though not exactly evidence of stability.