"When the Obama administration decided to move aggressively down the path of more sanctions on Iran, it was not because they thought it would work – they don’t – but because they had no idea what to do when U.S.-Iran talks broke down in late 2009. According to U.S. officials, the United States was simply trying to buy time: by going to the UN, they could make it look like they were doing something, and ease the pressure from hawks, neoconservatives, and the Israel lobby."

Writing in The Nation that is how Robert Dreyfuss sums up the state of things as far as Iran goes. And it would have gone as predicted by the US, i.e. with sanctions been imposed after all. But... But then came the deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil. And not only the US were taken aback. Indeed, writes Dreyfuss, "now as a direct result [of the US going to the UN, hoping to buy time while showing that they were actually doing something] the US administration is now is deep conflict with two close allies, Turkey and Brazil. Those two countries, acting like adults when the United States began behaving like a petulant child, sought to continue the stalled diplomacy, to coax Iran back to the bargaining table. It worked."

It could be argued that Dreyfuss sees things in a too clear-cut way. Yes,

Brazil’s President Lula, visiting Tehran with Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan, won a commitment from Iran to ship about half of its enriched uranium to Turkey, restarting the diplomatic process that ended last year when Iran first accepted a similar deal and then backed off, but to simply conclude that 'this is it', i.e. problem solved, it's a step to far.

Indeed it could be said that Iran too seems to be wanting to buy time, and this is why it was so ready to sign a deal with Turkey and Brazil. Also, it must be added, that Iran and Turkey nowadays seem to be witnessing the rebirth or at least blossoming of a somehow 'rusty' friendship. At the expenses, it must be said, of the Kurds, of Iran and Turkey alike. It can't go unnoticed the escalation in the operations against Kurds both sides of the border, and indeed into the Iraqi border as well. So, yes, the deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey was something to be looked at and certainly not to be dash away as it was. But there is more to it. Certainly as far as Turkey is concerned, and this also should be looked at, in order to paint a proper picture of what is moving in that area - and indeed there is a lot moving.