AP: The United States is taking a time out from browbeating Iran about its nuclear weapons, giving way – for now, at least – while the Europeans try to sweet-talk Iran’s uranium enrichment to a halt. America’s rhetorical muscling of Iran, and the Iranians’ pugnacious reactions, got the world’s attention. But the Europeans’ offer of nuclear fuel, trade benefits and security guarantees drew a promise from Iran to suspend enrichment of uranium. Associated Press
%20and%20the%20whole%20lot,%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.%20%E2%80%9CSo%20it%20was%20fairly%20obvious%20what%20Iran%20was%20doing.%E2%80%9D%0A%0AAdministration%20officials%20said%20Iran%20had%20a%20poor%20record%20when%20it%20came%20to%20keeping%20its%20word.%20They%20threatened%20to%20make%20a%20case%20against%20Iran%20before%20the%20U.N.%20Security%20Council%20and%20try%20punishment%20in%20place%20of%20diplomacy.%0A%0AThe%20trouble%20is%20the%20United%20States%20probably%20did%20not%20have%20enough%20votes%20in%20the%20council,%20certainly%20not%20for%20an%20oil%20cutoff.%20A%20Chinese%20veto%20loomed,%20said%20Cliff%20Kupchan,%20vice%20president%20of%20the%20Nixon%20Center%20in%20Washington%0A%0A%E2%80%9CThe%20only%20way%20out%20of%20this%20is%20a%20diplomatic%20solution.%20A%20military%20option%20holds%20little%20promise,%E2%80%9D%20said%20Kupchan,%20a%20former%20Clinton%20administration%20official%20who%20is%20an%20expert%20on%20Iran.%20The%20administration%20%E2%80%9Chas%20been%20increasingly%20disposed%20toward%20giving%20diplomacy%20a%20chance,%20which%20could%20point%20to%20a%20major%20policy%20change,%E2%80%9D%20he%20added.%0A%0A%E2%80%9CI%20think%20both%20sides%20realize%20the%20only%20way%20back%20from%20the%20abyss%20is%20to%20find%20a%20deal%20both%20sides%20can%20live%20with;%20if%20uneasily,%20but%20live%20with,%E2%80%9D%20Kupchan%20said.%0A%0ARobert%20Einhorn,%20a%20former%20State%20Department%20official%20who%20is%20now%20an%20analyst%20at%20the%20Center%20for%20Strategic%20and%20International%20Studies,%20attributed%20the%20administration%E2%80%99s%20adoption%20of%20a%20wait-and-see%20stance%20to%20lacking%20the%20votes%20to%20punish%20Iran%20in%20the%20Security%20Council.%0A%0AOn%20top%20of%20that,%20he%20said,%20the%20administration%20is%20heavily%20focused%20on%20elections%20in%20Iraq.%0A%0A%E2%80%9CIt%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20want%20to%20have%20a%20crisis%20over%20Iran%20at%20this%20stage,%E2%80%9D%20Einhorn%20said.%0A%0AIf%20the%20deal%20with%20the%20Europeans%20were%20to%20slow%20down%20Iran%E2%80%99s%20enrichment%20program,%20that%20would%20be%20a%20good%20result,%20Einhorn%20said,%20%E2%80%9Cand%20the%20administration%20will%20not%20have%20had%20to%20get%20its%20hands%20dirty%20by%20talking%20to%20Iran%20directly%20or%20by%20making%20concessions.%E2%80%9D%0A%0AThe%20next%20diplomatic%20test%20will%20come%20in%20mid-December%20when%20the%20Europeans%20insist%20on%20a%20permanent%20Iranian%20freeze.%0A%0ABy%20then,%20the%20Bush%20administration%20will%20consider%20whether%20to%20offer%20Iran%20the%20guarantees%20against%20attack%20it%20seeks,%20which%20already%20have%20been%20offered%20North%20Korea,%20and%20whether%20the%20bad%20cop%20should%20talk%20directly%20to%20the%20suspect.%0A</p></img>%0A</div></div><div%20class=)
