Edgy Iran Bracing for War

Iran's Navy Commander Admiral Habibollah Sayari points at a map during a press conference in Tehran on December 22, 2010, as saying that Iran will launch 10 days of naval drills from December 24, covering east of Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to the Gulf of Aden. AFP PHOTO/HAMED JAFARNEJAD/FARS NEWS/Fars News (Photo credit should read Hamed Jafarnejad/AFP/Getty Images) Photo: Hamed Jafarnejad/AFP/Getty Images

United States officials take Iranians' anxiety about the economy and the possibility of war as a sign that sanctions are working. Iran also just announced that it will hold new naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, a major transit passage for oil. This is an uncomfortable game of chicken.