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After Israeli Visit, a Diplomatic Sprint on Iran

[New York Times] David E. Sanger - Obama's declaration Monday that "we're not going to have talks forever" was a warning to the Iranians that serious American engagement with Tehran must bear fruit before Iran clears the last technological hurdles to building a nuclear weapon. It is a strategy that some administration officials describe as "negotiations with pressure" - a combination of direct negotiations, reassurances that Washington is no longer seeking regime change in Iran, and an effort to persuade the ruling mullahs that the alternative will be painful: international sanctions that are far harsher and more tightly enforced than the weak mix of actions imposed so far by the UN. Obama's strategy is based on a giant gamble: That after the Iranian elections on June 12, the way will be clear to convince the Iranians that it is in their long-term interest to strike a deal, trading their ability to produce their own nuclear fuel for a range of tempting rewards. But Israeli officials express skepticism that any combination of new diplomatic openness and gradually escalating pressure will work. Their assessment is that Iran wants the bomb, full stop. A senior Israeli said the only benchmark that really matters this year is a halt in Iran's enrichment of uranium. Otherwise, he said, Iran just gets closer to a bomb capability every day that talks drag on.
2009-05-20 06:00:00
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