Israel And Iran: Countdown To War -- Benny Morris, The National Interest

Israel's strategy for the Iranian nuclear weapons program is working—but it’s unlikely to solve the problem, or solve it in time.

Europe, which for constitutional and economic reasons for years shied away from using the big stick, recently decided to impose drastic economic sanctions against Iran in an attempt to compel it to halt its nuclear-weapons program. Meeting in Brussels, the European Union's twenty-seven foreign ministers, led by Britain, France and Germany, agreed to halt all imports of Iranian oil products or to help ship them to any destination; to halt all exports to Iran of oil-production equipment and all investments in the Iranian oil industry; to freeze the assets in Europe of Iran's central bank; and to prohibit all trade in diamonds, gold and other precious metals with Iranian state agencies.

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My Comment: I still believe that war is not inevitable. That Iran .... even with their fanatical leaders .... will step back from the nuclear program, and that Israel .... with its justifiable fear of its own security .... will still look for an alternative policy to counter Iran's nuclear threats that does not involve direct military action.

My prediction .... more of the same. Further sanctions but this time involving Russia, China, etc., a bloodier covert war, and regular threats from Tehran on oil traffic in the Persian Gulf..