These “signals” represent a complete misreading of what it takes to begin a negotiation with the Obama Administration. There’s a reason for that: the Iranians–not just the regime, but even the reform movement–have been isolated from the rest of the world for too long. They have no idea how to play the hand they’ve been dealt because they don’t know very much about the other players at the table.

[The Obama Administration] began its steady, successful campaign of increasing economic pressure on the regime. Through smart, patient diplomacy, it did what no one thought possible–bringing the Russians and Chinese into the sanctions regime. And now, both the Obama Administration and Europe seem ready to impose even tighter sanctions on Iran’s oil industry.

We’re at a dangerous moment right now. The Iranians need to understand in the most precise manner possible what the consequences of their various attempts at saber-rattling will be. They need to understand just exactly what sort of concessions they will have to make to get negotiations started.