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Source: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/leaders/article4396508.ece
A Bad Deal: Iran Is Outwitting the West in Nuclear Talks
(The Times-UK) Editorial - If a deal on Iran's nuclear program is clinched in the coming days, it will be hailed as a diplomatic breakthrough. It will be nothing of the kind. If the framework agreement is signed on the basis of current drafts it will contribute to a reckless recasting of the U.S. position in the Middle East. Iran would be upgraded to the status of regional ally, while Israel, whose fears have been largely ignored during a year of diplomacy, would be awarded the status of regional irritant. The determination to notch up at least one success in Middle East peacemaking has led Mr. Obama to make ill-considered concessions in the belief that Iran is acting in good faith. Iran's clout will be increased by the knowledge of its nervous neighbors that it is on the cusp of becoming a nuclear power, and that the U.S. is not willing to slow Iran's ascent. Instead of containing Iran's nuclear ambitions, this deal may simply give Tehran carte blanche to plan a future with its own bomb.