Reply #44: The Impression I Got From The Article Is That Iran Is Willing To Deal [View All]

And the sticking point is U.S. acceptance of the plan.

Of course, a deal does not guarantee a nuclear free Iran, but it does buy some time. And considering the growing dissatisfaction within Iran with the conservation elements, this may all that is needed.

I am afraid that an air attack would only lead to driving the reform minded in Iran into the camp of the conservatives. Also, in the post A.Q. Khan world, it seems putting the vast majority of our resources into preventing one country from gaining a nuclear weapon is closing the barn door a little late.

It appears that the 'diplomacy' option was the conclusion of the following 'war game' conducted by former national security staffers:

Will Iran Be Next?
By James Fallows. The Atlantic Monthly. 12/04

http://www.ocnus.net/cgi-bin/exec/view.cgi?archive=60&num=15630

. . .

"So this is how the war game turned out: with a finding that the next American President must, through bluff and patience, change the actions of a government whose motives he does not understand well, and over which his influence is limited. "After all this effort, I am left with two simple sentences for policymakers," Sam Gardiner said of his exercise. "You have no military solution for the issues of Iran. And you have to make diplomacy work."