US downplays Tehran’s claims of nuclear progress
>> us today. there has been so much information, disinformation, accusations on all sides. but we are reaching a really difficult point here. and we've seen a lot of mixed signals and some would say erratic behavior from iran , indicating factions within the regime. what is your take?
>> well, i think iran is panicking. if you look at these ineffective terror attacks in georgia and thailand and in other places, they're not the usual standard of iranian excellence in these matters. they're forcing this issue and they're lashing out. they are under severe economic pressure. they really are. and people aren't focused on this, but the super tankers, for instance, that move their oil, they're having difficulty getting insurance now because of the sanctions. they're having problems in their banking systems.
>> our treasury department has done a heck of a job, if your theory of the case is that we should put as much economic pressure on them as possible.
>> there are critics who say that the obama administration is soft on iran . i don't see that. if you look at the sanctions regime that they've put in place, it's very effective. the open question is, does it actually matter in the long run? but, yes, you could look at iranian behavior recently. the threats to american ships, not to come into the persian gulf , which is an absurd threat and they couldn't back it up, but this is the kind of behavior of people who don't know what to do.
>> jeffrey, just yesterday, there was one announcement that they were going to cut off oil experts to europe, and it was countermanded about an hour later. the fact is, after july 1st , there can't be any further new contracts because of the sanctions. the european countries have now agreed to not buy future oil contracts.
>> the behavior is not rational. they launched a terror attack in india. india wants to buy their oil. now, indians are saying to themselves, why are we doling with these people. they believe iran was behind the attack and obviously, they're offended by that. so the behavior doesn't make sense. and when you introduce a rationality and pressure and panic into this equation, bad things can happen.
>> jeff, one final question, though. with iranian behavior, which some say is panic because of the sanctions, wouldn't that argue to israel, sit back, and let's watch this thing evolve? because american officials now think that something good may come out of this, which could be something at the negotiating table without military strife.
>> i actually think that's what is happening. remember, a couple weeks ago, leon panetta was suggesting that israel's going to attack soon. i think that the israels now are looking at the situation and saying, you know, the american administration is handling this in a very serious way and they are not under the same self-imposed pressures they were, even a few weeks ago.
