IRAN AND "THE TWIST".

Iran's nuclear program is picking up steam, as the country's political leader, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has personally been present for the first home made fuel rod to be inserted into a research reactor in Tehran.

There are other nuclear facilities that are pushing on with uranium enrichment, for which the Natanz facility is famous, with new generation of Iranian centrifuges being brought into operation there.

Probably that and other pieces of Iran's nuclear program are the "surprises" that Ahmadinejad has been talking about a few days before, in touting the scientific achievements of his country, and how far the Iranians have advanced.

"Iran claimed two major advances in producing nuclear fuel..." (ABC news, 02/16/12).

However, Iran with its bad history of secrecy, is gradually developing the trickery of twisting the world around its little finger, for coming up with the idea of new talks with world powers of its "peaceful purposes for its nuclear program."

President Barack Obama is making sure that Iran never reaches the point of producing a nuclear weapon to threaten friends and allies of the United States, very stiff sanctions have been imposed on Tehran and they are harshly hurting the country's (Iran's) economy.

America and European leaders are serious to stop Iran in its tracks from realizing its ambition, which is the right approach; and so they are determined to ratchet up the sanctions that are leaving no room for that country to breathe.

As such, the Iranians are using intimidation, with the progression of their nuclear program, and coercion of being ready for "talks", all at the same time, to negate the pressure they are feeling. The talks are designed to find a way out, but the U.S. and its allies must never concede to Iranian tricks.

"We voice our readiness for dialogue on a spectrum of various issues which can provide ground for constructive and forward looking cooperation," a letter from Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator has said in a letter to the European Union's foreign policy administrator, Catherine Ashton.

Almost in the same breath, Iran is "on the verge of imposing an oil embargo on European countries to retaliate for sanctions." (ABC news, 02/16/12).

So, which is which? Either to be cooperative and defuse a dire situation, or be defiant and suffer the consequences of the actions of U.S. and its friends.

The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany are demanding "that Iran freeze all uranium enrichment." and that is what Iran's leaders must be concentrating on.

Lately, due to the erratic behavior of Iran in the Gulf region, oil is becoming expensive, and that will not sit well with American consumers, especially in an election year; but America must keep the pressure on, as Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb is a more unwelcome situation than oil prices going up. Everything, including US, can go up in smoke, with a nuclear armed Iran.

Ahmadinejad is using rhetoric and threats to twist the U.S. and its allies around his little finger, but that will not work. He must be made to understand that the idea of Iran having such a bomb will not be conducive to world peace, for the sheer danger that it presents.