Word is, we gave this support in exchange for Europe agreeing to send Iran's case to the Security Council for possible sanctions, if they fail to take the carrots.
(It's probably expected the Security Council actions will be insufficient, giving Bush -- ding! ding! ding! -- the greenlight for "unilateral" action, most likely through the proxy of Israel.)
And Iran is reacting probably just as planned: with ridiculous bluster:
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Washington is "hallucinating" if it thinks Iran will scrap its nuclear fuel production plans in return for economic incentives, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying Sunday.Hey, that's got a nice ring to it!
Iran dismissed the U.S. offer as insignificant. Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi told IRNA it was "funny and disrespectful."
"The U.S. should apologize to Iran for making this proposal," he said, going on to describe Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a "queen of war and violence."
Must be referring to this recent photo of the new Dominatrix of State.
I must say that ensemble reminded me of this image of Sat-yr-nin, one of the cooler characters in the comic Excalibur during its heyday under the great Alan Davis.