There is a growing interest among U.S. foreign policy officials and scholars in deterring Iran; that is, in tolerating a nuclear armed Iran but keeping it at bay by threatening it in kind should it use its nuclear weapons. Although the Obama administration has not embraced this position, some observers believe this is the direction it is headed.

Here is the original post:
Opinion: Deter a nuclear Iran?

Iran’s foreign minister was reported on Monday to have offered to extend a three-day visit to his country by United Nations inspectors.

Follow this link:
Iran Offers to Extend U.N. Nuclear Inspection

As Israel’s political and military leaders weigh options to stop Iran’s nuclear program, many are guided by an assessment that an attack is unlikely to set off widespread conflict.

Go here to see the original:
Israelis See Iran’s Threats of Retaliation as Bluff

BRUSSELS — Europe banned the import of Iranian oil Monday and froze Europe-based assets of the Central Bank of Iran, intensifying an international campaign to choke Iran’s economy and force the radical Islamic government to dispel fears that it is working to develop nuclear weapons. Read full article > >

Continue reading here:
Europe bans Iranian oil imports in push to curtail nuclear program

Every country involved in the dispute over Iran’s possibly acquiring nuclear weapons is calculating how the American presidential election plays to their agendas.

Read more:
News Analysis: Confronting Iran in a Year of Elections

The president, trying to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions, must balance choices that could harm either the economic recovery or his image as a firm leader.

Read more here:
Faceoff With Iran Complicates Obama’s Re-election Campaign

A campaign of bombings, assassinations, defections and cyberattacks, which experts believe is mainly Israel’s work, seems meant to halt Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon.

See more here:
Adversaries of Iran Said to Be Stepping Up Covert Actions

At a time of growing tension over its nuclear program, Iran reported on Wednesday that a nuclear scientist died in what was termed a “terrorist bomb blast” in Tehran.

Link:
Iran Reports Killing of Nuclear Scientist

Iran’s nuclear agency announced a step forward in spite of United Nations sanctions and measures by the United States and others to stop the nation’s atomic work.

See the original post here:
Iran Says It Has Produced a Nuclear Fuel Rod

A journalist examines the unlikely campaign of five cold war veterans to eliminate our nuclear arsenal.

Excerpt from:
The Partnership – Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb – By Philip Taubman – Book Review

Newt Gingrich is ringing alarm bells over a type of nuclear attack called the electromagnetic pulse, which some scientists say is far-fetched.

Link:
Gingrich’s Electromagnetic Pulse Warning Has Skeptics

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta prodded Israel on Friday to do more to reverse its deepening isolation in the Middle East, and suggested that Israeli leaders bear significant blame for a stalled peace process that he said “has been effectively put on hold.” Panetta’s admonishment came in a speech in which he also pledged an “unshakable” commitment to the security of the Jewish state and reiterated a promise to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons — including by military force, if needed. He said the Defense Department had contingency plans for a “wide range of military options, should they become necessary.” Read full article > >

Go here to see the original:
Panetta chides Israel over stalled peace process

US Republican presidential hopefuls debate foreign policy, agreeing on blocking Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions, but differing on methods.

See original here:
Republicans debate foreign policy

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — With the International Atomic Energy Agency warning in a new report that Iran may be proceeding with developing a nuclear weapon, the leading Republican candidates for president accused President Obama of not being forceful enough to prevent that from happening. At the first GOP debate that focused on foreign policy, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former House speaker Newt Gingrich indicated that if either of them were commander in chief, they would be willing to use military force against Iran, if tightened economic sanctions and support for the Iranian opposition did not work to deter nuclear weapons development in the country. Read full article > >

Read more:
GOP candidates hammer Obama on his Iran policy during South Carolina debate

United Nations inspectors released a trove of new evidence on Tuesday that they say makes a “credible” case that Iran’s nuclear program has included work toward weapons.

Visit link:
U.N. Details Case That Iran Is at Work on Nuclear Device