In the uproar following last week's exposure of a clandestine
underground nuclear plant near Qom, little has been heard from
Iran's domestic opposition leaders and their supporters. But
Tehran's brusque rejection of "ludicrous" western criticism
conceals another tense secret: continuing regime nervousness
about a loss of political support, a possible repeat of June's
street uprisings and the unpredictable impact of the "crippling"
sanctions threatened by the US and its allies.  The idea that
the Iranian "nation", always a difficult concept in a country as
ethnically, religiously and linguistically diverse as Iran, is
wholeheartedly united behind President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's
pursuit of its "nuclear rights" is even less persuasive than it
was a few months ago. The summer's violently disputed
presidential election has left ugly wounds unhealed. The
international spotlight has shifted elsewhere, partly because of
a crackdown on reformist newspapers and websites and a de facto
ban on western reporters. But inte