I’m truly confused. Either the Hussein Obama administration doesn’t understand that the threat of force is necessary for negotiations to work, or they intentionally sabotaged said negotiations. I pray this was intended to set the stage for an American attack, because the alternative is the Panetta aid and abetting the Iranian program on purpose or out of monumental delusion.
I can’t see any reason for an intentional public statement like this other than to reassure Iran, or to both give the President political cover domestically should Israel strike. He warned them, not his fault, and to set the stage for future demands on Israel. Should the Iranian reaction be localized, retaliation from Lebanon and Gaza but no attempt to disrupt the oil markets, then he won’t need the cover, and can simply make demands of Israel.