The source (the Guardian) is questionable and the hope (“Iranian moderates”) has disappointed before, to put it mildly, but this piece on opposition to Ahmadinejad within Iran is well worth reading. It’s interesting, and encouraging, to note that, judging by this article, current or potential US/EU sanctions are having some effect on the debate:

[O]pposition spokesmen say their broader objective is to bring down the fundamentalist regime by democratic means, transform Iran into a “normal country”, and obviate the need for any military or other US and western intervention.

At the same time, there’s obviously a clear danger that “too much” external pressure will push Iranians, however much they may resent the theocracy, to support the mullahs. For the same reason, while I imagine that the opposition groups welcome foreign criticism of the current regime in Teheran, they will not want to be put in a position where they can be portrayed as US stooges. Iran is a real country, with a real sense of self. National pride matters. Read this, for example:

Opposition sources said that a future reformist-pragmatist government would continue to maintain Iran’s claim to nuclear energy and other “national rights” but would seek to settle disputes through talks.

Quite how the US/EU can reconcile the difference between too much pressure and too little, and too much cheerleading and too little, is going to be one of the key foreign policy issues as matters move forward. It’s not going to be easy. In fact it’s going to be very difficult. Careful, please.