US flexible as Iran flexes

The New York Times published an article on Wednesday about the emerging nuclear deal with Iran: "Negotiators in Geneva might be able to complete a framework by the end of March, with a final accord reached at the end of June," the newspaper reported.

"This isn’t certain, but it offers hope that the protracted nuclear threat from Iran can be resolved peacefully."

Meanwhile, in so-called pacifistic Iran, the a slightly different atmosphere is afoot: Having heard the news of the progress in the talks, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched a large-scale drill. They seem to have not heard that the world is trying to give them a certificate of good conduct, and during the military exercise, they chose to sink a life-size replica of the U.S. Navy's Nimitz aircraft carrier.

The Americans, of course, did not get bent out of shape about the navy ship's sinking, which seemed to them to be nothing more than an attempt "to destroy the equivalent of a Hollywood movie set,” according to Commander Kevin Stephens, the spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

Washington too was forgiving of the Iranian drill, despite the fact that it was done near the Strait of Hormuz, which three years ago made headlines after Iran threatened to shut down the strategic waterway, leading to tensions between the U.S. and Tehran.

But that is not our problem this time; the drill itself is not the issue, rather the meaning behind Iran's symbolic act. As the United States paves the way for Iran to rejoin the international family, Iran chooses to "sink an American battleship," as though nothing has changed since 1979.

This continued American habit succumbing to Iran is concerning. It makes you wonder: Who here is behaving like the superpower and who is acting as though they have something to lose-

Instead of the Iranians being the ones with their tail between their legs, begging for a deal and for sanctions to be lifted, they are the ones doing the threatening and behaving like Iranian revolutionaries.

At the ceremony preceding the military drill, the regime's leaders sat alongside high-ranking officials in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who are leading the fight against making a deal with the West, and both made arrogant declarations. As America demonstrates flexibility, Iran is flexing its muscles. This is not a coincidence.

Tehran aspires to a deal that is good for Iran (and bad for us) in every way: a deal that ensure sanctions are lifted, preserves the honor and spirit of the revolution, and if possible, allows for a nuclear bomb. Once, the spirit of the Iranian revolution could not have held a candle to America's fighting spirit. For some reason, Western winds no longer blow toward the Persian Gulf.

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