Those diplomats were cashiered when Mr. Ahmadinejad came to power. This year's delegates mostly sounded like slightly calmer versions of the Iranian leader. The mantra on Iran's nuclear program: no freeze of uranium enrichment, period. There was no talk of destroying Israel by force; rather, there was a constant repetition of Mr. Ahmadinejad's formula that all Palestinians everywhere should decide the fate of the Jewish state by referendum.
Iranian officials clearly grasp that the regional power balance has shifted in their favor. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan removed Iran's two biggest enemies, Saddam Hussein and the Taliban, and put Iran-friendly regimes in power in Baghdad and Kabul. At Davos, CEOs and officials from Gulf Arab states made clear they don't want America to attack Iran, despite U.S. efforts to align those states against Tehran.
The loudest Iranian message at Davos was that Tehran won't change its policies before the end of the Bush administration. "We can wait," Mr. Mottaki told me. He seemed certain the United States would eventually accept Iran's nuclear policy.
