As part of its negotiating pattern of vague non-responses, it appears that Iran will not agree to temporarily freeze its uranium enrichment program in a response today to an offer by the United States and its allies. This failure again shows the need for the United States to develop a comprehensive security strategy for dealing with Iran that includes tough and direct diplomacy between the two countries. But instead, John McCain wants to continue the bellicose rhetoric and war threats of the Bush administration, while pursuing the same policy that has already proved to be a failure.

Iran will give a formal response today to an incentives package in exchange for a freeze in nuclear activity. However, according to U.S. and European officials, there is little expectation of a positive reply. The chief Iranian negotiator will provide a written explanation of Iran’s position on the two-week-old offer to freeze further economic sanctions and begin substantive talks. According to Reuters, the Iranian media has reported that Iran’s letter was handed over early Tuesday, although an official representing the six powers said no written response had yet been received. Reuters further reports that an Iranian official has said: “The letter handed over is not an answer to the offered package ... The letter does not mention the freeze-for-freeze issue.” The U.N. Security Council has passed three resolutions sanctioning Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment program since March 2006. Thus far, Iran has refused to comply. Discussions on further sanctions are set to begin unless the Iranian reply is positive and unambiguous [Washington Post, 9/5/08; Reuters, 9/5/08]

After years of bellicose rhetoric and no coherent diplomatic strategy, the Bush administration’s belated efforts are too little too late. The U.S. must develop a coherent and comprehensive security strategy to deal with Iran that includes direct engagement and addresses key issues including: Iran’s uranium enrichment program, the situation in Iraq, and Iran’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas. For the past eight years we have pursued an incoherent approach that fails to focus clearly on American interests and does not effectively use all of the tools of power available to us. We need a wholesale reevaluation of our policy, with a clear prioritization of the most important issues, and a plan for what the U.S. could hope to achieve by talking directly with Iran, both in the short and long-term. This strategy must take into account what we can hope to achieve through economic threats and incentives and what role military pressure may play. It must also include collaboration with our European allies, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States to achieve our interests. Finally, we must combine engagement with containment and deterrence as we did when we had a comprehensive strategy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

John McCain would pursue the same failed strategies of George Bush that empowered Iran instead of stopping its uranium enrichment program. John McCain supports not talking to Iran and instead continuing the same strategies that have not worked for the last eight years. He has supported George Bush’s assessment of characterizing direct talks with Iran as appeasement. These policies have resulted in Iran moving further along on its uranium enrichment program and could eventually lead the U.S. to face a terrible choice of either a nuclear Iran or war. [John McCain, 6/2/08]

Quick Hits

1250 Marines were ordered to extend their tour in Afghanistan by one month, completing a mission of ‘top priority.’ Impromptu troop extensions have become indicative of the Department of Defense’s misallocation of resources in the war.

A Pakistani scientist educated in elite US universities was detained in Afghanistan after assaulting two soldiers and F.B.I. officers. Aafia Siddiqui, a neuroscientist, allegedly has ties to top al Qaeda operatives held in Guantanamo.

The panel of jurors began its second day of deliberations in the case of Salim Hamdan at Guantanamo Bay. A verdict by the 6-person panel is expected soon.

A senior Sunni tribal leader allied with the US was ambushed and killed by gunmen in southern Baghdad. Al Qaeda in Iraq has been targeting Sunni tribal leaders since the start of the “Awakening.”

President Bush today kicked off his tour of Asia, which will culminate in the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, in South Korea.

An earthquake of the magnitude 6.0 hit the Chinese province of Sichuan just hours after the Olympic torch made its final stop in the capital of the region.