The United States' response to the agreement between Iran, Brazil and Turkey is to rush a resolution to the full body of the UN Security Council.
“We have reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of both Russia and China,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told a Senate committee. “We plan to circulate that draft resolution to the entire Security Council today. And let me say, Mr. Chairman, I think this announcement is as convincing an answer to the efforts undertaken in Tehran over the last few days as any we could provide.”OK. She's right that it is as convincing as anything the US could have done. This is a panicked and amateurish move that positions the United States as a party thirsting for a confrontation with Iran which is trying to give the US ways to avoid a confrontation.
From this position, Iran adds to its assets a moral advantage. If the United States is really irrationally hostile, then maybe Iran is right that the US should be forced out of the region. The moral element is not as important as tangible factors, but it does have a role. People have to choose which side to be on and they have to justify their decisions to themselves.
When Barack Obama failed to hold Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in check to prevent a move like this, he proved that he does not have the strength to chart an independent foreign policy for the United States, which proves that Iranian attempts at reducing tension can only be fruitless while he is in office.
The United States really is lurching back and forth in its foreign policy. Hillary Clinton is working hard to convince Iran that open confrontation with the US is just something Iran has to accept until Obama is out of office. If that's the case, Iran will make it as difficult and expensive as possible for the US to achieve any of its objectives in the region.
