That’s what we get

On this morning’s front page of the Washington Post, reporter Jon Ward Anderson announces that “US, Iran Open Dialogue“;

The United States and Iran held their first official high-level, face-to-face talks in almost 30 years Monday to discuss the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, and officials emerged generally upbeat about the renewed dialogue, suggesting additional meetings were likely.

Yay! We did what the Iraq Study Group said was crucial for ending the war in Iraq.

This morning, Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs calls it the “Worst Idea of the Year” and the Iranians waste no time proving Johnson right. According to AP, by way of Fox News Channel;

U.S. academic Haleh Esfandiari and two other Iranian-Americans have been “formally charged” with endangering national security and espionage, Iran’s judiciary spokesman said Tuesday.

“Esfandiari has been formally charged with endangering national security through propaganda against the system and espionage for foreigners,” Judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters. “She has been informed of the charges against her. The complainant is the Intelligence Ministry.”

So that’s what we get. To us Westerners, negotiating is just the civilized thing to do – discussing our differences is reasonable. But to 7th century throwbacks like the Iranians, it’s a sign of weakness. This just an attempt to see if they can push us even further than they’ve already pushed us.

In fact, on the main issue, that of Iranians supplying anti-government forces in Iraq, the Iranians were evasive and downright mocking in their tone;

The American envoy called the meeting “businesslike” and said at “the level of policy and principle, the Iranian position as articulated by the Iranian ambassador was very close to our own.”

However, he said: “What we would obviously like to see, and the Iraqis would clearly like to see, is an action by Iran on the ground to bring what it’s actually doing in line with its stated policy.”

Speaking later at a news conference in the Iranian Embassy, Kazemi said: “We don’t take the American accusations seriously.”

They don’t take our accusations seriously is probably the understatement of the year. Mainly because no one in the West has the cajones to stand up to the goat ropers of Iran because we’re hamstrung by the anti-Bush/anti-US Democrats and the “Peace at any cost” Euro-weenies. And the Iranians are fully aware of it – these talks are just attempts at running out the clock on their nuclear program. In addition, any fingers they can stick in our eye are just frosting on the cake. 

More here from a relative expert.

Category: Foreign Policy, Politics, Terror War