The Deal Iran Thinks We're Offering -- A Commentary

From The New York Post:

AS the Obama administration intensifies its diplomatic moves in the Mid dle East, Tehran's possible misreading of its signals may doom its hopes of "positive engagement" with the Islamic Republic.

As Tehran sees it, the administration has already accepted a nuclear-armed Iran as a fait accompli and is only trying to secure some concessions from the Khomeinist regime.

According to the newspaper Kayhan, which reflects the views of the leadership in Tehran, the United States is "in a state of strategic desperation" in the Middle East and has no stomach for a serious confrontation with Iran.

Read more ....

My Comment: One reason why I make a point of reading Amir Taheri's comments is that he takes the time and effort to read what the Iranians are saying in their media and government announcements. In this case, his analysis of Iranian thinking and their perception of American thinking concurs with what I have also been reading in the non-American media (i.e. Russian, Arabic, and Israeli).

This attention to the details of future talks by the Iranians started right after Secretary of State Clinton made her remarks on the U.S. providing a "nuclear umbrella" to our allies in the Middle East in the event of an successful Iranian nuclear program. These remarks were a tactical and strategic mistake. But taken into context of what Senator Obama was saying when he was running for the Presidency, she is actually very consistent .... and the Iranians also see it this way.

I am sure that they are thinking that when they start to meet American officials in September .... an American acceptance of Iran's nuclear program will be a fait accompli, and are now preparing their positions with this context. I think this is a mistake. In fact, I would venture that President Obama's offer will be strict (no acceptance of an Iranian nuclear program), and will be similar to past offers from the Bush Administration. When these talks are finished, I expect the "fireworks" to occur, and an acceleration of the Iranian nuclear program.

In the background the Israelis are watching .... and we all know that they are making their own plans.