News

As the United States prepares to engage in talks with Iran on October 1, the unexpected move by Washington to drop its planned missile shield in Eastern Europe has abruptly changed both parties' game plans, and raised the already considerable stakes.

The meeting - the first since 1979 when former national security adviser for president Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, held a secret meeting with Iran's foreign minister - will ultimately center on sanctions. A failure to rally support for new sanctions could force US President Barack Obama into a dilemma - either to accept defeat and a possibly nuclear Iran, or to wage a new war.

The BPC (Bipartisan Policy Center) experts foresee war as the final outcome. "While we encourage tightening economic pressure on Iran, we are not persuaded the United Nations' Security Council will make such sanctions internationally binding ... For this reason, it is important that the White House pursue a multi-step strategy and prepare overtly for any military option," the BPC report claims......