Iran, Iran, Iran: "Washington's Iran Pivot: How big a shift?", and "A Test of US Flexibility on Iran":

What remains uncertain at this point is whether the move represents what Bush administration officials publicly insist – a one-time offer by Washington to demonstrate its willingness to negotiate only if Iran should agree to halt its uranium enrichment activities, or the beginnings of a greater flexibility and willingness by the Bush administration in its twilight months to engage in a more sustained diplomatic process toward Tehran – a process that is likely to be fraught with setbacks and delays, and short of easy breakthroughs.

Publicly, administration officials insist the move is a one-time offer that represents no fundamental change in its approach to Tehran. "Nothing has changed," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday. "If they don't accept this offer, one, there will not be negotiations and two, there will be additional sanctions."

Former administration officials agreed that the decision represents less a shift in the Bush administration's approach to Tehran than a demonstration of a sustained commitment by the administration to deal with the Iran issue as part of a unified international coalition that had been taken as far back as 2006.

"Our main allies, like our government, don't believe that talking is an end in itself," said Philip Zelikow, former adviser to secretary of state Rice. "Otherwise we'll talk and talk; they'll build and build. Not a formula likely to relax tension. ..."

And the Guardian reports on plans to post US diplomats to Iran, to be announced next month.

If the latter report is correct, it's really hard to imagine the US sending diplomats to Iran for the first time in three decades if there is any sort of intention for military action against Iran before Bush leaves office. Right? Unless something big changes. Would you send them in August to pull them in October? What's more, at what level must the US and Iran have been having negotiations on this for this to be reported as a fact? More than we know to be happening, I would think? (Update: See this: "This diplomatic reshuffle is set to continue in Ankara today, with both Mottaki and Stephen Hadley, the US national security adviser, both in town, and the Turks acting as willing go-betweens.")

Update: Glenn Kessler on the Iran and US signaling a possible deal.

Posted by Laura at July 16, 2008 11:27 PM