Iranian Intrigue in Spying Conviction Against American

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Iran Sentences American to Die on Spy Charges,” represents another wrench in the frigid relations between the two countries and is unlikely to result in a negotiated release.

Iran is feeling besieged these days after four rounds of sanctions by the United Nations, a computer virus against its centrifuges, the assassination of nuclear scientists and threatened boycotts against its most lucrative export, oil.

As a result, they have conducted military exercises and threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, an essential shipping lane for Arab oil through the Persian Gulf. The U.S. military has responded vigorously to this threat and said it would be a red line that Iran should not cross.

The American convicted has a military background and could conceivably be a spy. The CIA has refused to comment on the allegations, but the family and U.S. government have protested vigorously. One hope is that the conviction has been made as a bargaining chip for possible nuclear talks offered by Turkey as a host.

Meanwhile, the Republicans continue to make bellicose statements about Iran that are totally unhelpful to resolving an already difficult situation. Only Ron Paul seems to understand that war is a terrible thing and should only occur as a last resort.