Today, American red lines exist only in the blood-drenched lung matter of Syria’s forgotten dead, felled by chlorine gas. And American diplomatic deadlines never die.
For the umpteenth time, the deadline for a nuclear deal with Iran has lapsed. It’s ludicrous. Now the key concern is what will happen over the second half of 2015, given that Iran and the P5+1 remain likely to strike a deal by July 7 (the new deadline). For President Obama, a deal is an alternative to tougher sanctions or a military showdown: Even if he believes the deal is flawed, he’ll probably sign on the dotted line and spin any failure later. Likewise, Iran will probably sign. After all, while rejecting a deal would mean new sanctions, signing a deal would give Iran months to fracture the P5+ 1 and weaken its sanctions regime. Iran knows that the Europeans and Russians are salivating at the prospect of lucrative Iranian contracts.