Jeff Herf has a must-read piece at The New Republic (reproduced at CBS News), outlining the only policy option that Tehran’s new hard-line regime fears and the only one that gives negotiations a chance of success – a credible threat of military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the United States, perhaps joined by Britain and France, or Israel:
If President Obama were to make this threat, he would enrage the base of the Democratic Party that made possible his nomination for president, antagonize liberals in Congress, and infuriate the New York Times editorial page. In the eyes of many of his admirers, he would appear to be yet another unilateralist, imperialist American president. So Obama has a choice: He can look out for his popularity or he can do what is necessary to defend the national security of the United States, our European allies, the moderate Arab states, and, yes, Israel. He has reached the point in his presidency when it has become clear that he cannot do both.
