Iran
The latest news on Iran
Is the United States moving toward military action with Iran?
Even among close allies, the mood is shifting in a way that weakens Washington's diplomatic leverage.
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the former No. 2 commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, this morning told Pentagon reporters that while Iraq must have a relationship with Iran, "the issue I have" is making sure that that relationship is "helpful." To that end, he said, "we have to keep the pressure on."
Behind long-awaited action, U.S. frustration at the "snail's pace" of diplomacy.
The regime tries to muzzle its younger generation with threats, detention, and torture.
Diplomats told the Associated Press this morning that the United States has shared information with the International Atomic Energy Agency showing Tehran was trying to make a nuclear weapon. The United States is allowing the IAEA to show some of the evidence to Iran to pressure the Islamic republic into admitting it had focused some of its nuclear efforts on developing weapons.
This week's Annual Threat Assessment appearance on Capitol Hill by Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, seemed to stand in contrast to two months ago, when the public version of a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran blew up a policy storm with its conclusion—in spite of heated rhetoric to the contrary—that Iran had halted its work on how to design and build a nuclear warhead way back in 2003. It was as though the lyrics were much the same as in the recent past, but the tone of the music had darkened noticeably.
Though slowed by foot-dragging from Russia and China, progress is still being made toward a third United Nations Security Council resolution with additional sanctions on Iran, a well-informed senior European official said on background today.
The president's tough strategy against Iran proves a hard sell.
A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows Barack Obama opening up a double-digit lead over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. Obama was the pick of 41 percent of voters surveyed while Clinton was named by 28 percent and John Edwards by 19 percent. In the GOP poll, John McCain led Mitt Romney by four points.
