A Moment of OpportunityFor Engaging Iran?

The drumbeat of war over Iran's nuclear activities has grown fainter in recent weeks.

President Obama maneuvered skillfully during the US visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While reconfirming the "all options" position, he also made clear that current circumstances do not warrant a rush to military action.

The American red line is an Iranian nuclear weapon, not a nuclear capability, as desired by the Israelis and, as yet, there is no conclusive evidence that Iran has decided to build a weapon. Even before the president's remarks, Iran had let the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, know that it was ready to resume nuclear talks for the first time in more than a year, apparently without preconditions. To underscore Iran's stance, the Supreme Leader reiterated his anti-nuclear weapons position in a new fatwa (Islamic legal opinion).

This lessening of tensions, while perhaps temporary, may provide a rare opportunity to imagine a change in the US-Iran relationship. After thirty years of estrangement, neither party has good insights into the intentions of the other, or dares to take big risks after so many disappointments. A new round of missed cues is certainly possible, even likely. But the leaders in Tehran and Washington are tentatively signaling readiness to move in a more positive direction.