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Hard Line on Iran Places White House in a Bind
(New York Times) Mark Landler, Thom Shanker and Helene Cooper - As American and European diplomats prepare for crucial negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, the White House finds itself caught in a bind: for the diplomatic effort to work, American officials say, the Iranian government must believe that President Obama is ready and willing to take military action. Yet tough talk, necessary as it might be for successful diplomacy, contributes to a sense that war may be unavoidable. "For diplomacy to work there has to be a coercive side," said Dennis Ross, a former senior official at the National Security Council who handled Iran policy. "If the Iranians think this is a bluff, you can't be as effective. The message to the Iranians is: you've got an option."