He has to be a professional gambler! I don't know where this one is going to end up, but there is alot of chips on the table, and some big players in on this one. The guy is smart, so he must have an angle that he feels comfortable with. It could be that he will settle for the deal, but wants to look as if he dictates timing. It could be that he will stick it out to 20% on his own, to do this he needs finsh the fuel rod assemblies himself. Then he is self sufficient for medical purposes, so he could take sanctions on the head. He could even think, lets draw the US into another front, while they are mired in a finacial mess and two other costly fronts. The options go on and on, right to a seismic event. I am glad we are taking a practical view here and just trying to steer things, keeping clear goals, because I believe this can go anywhere.

@Count Cash If this is your example of a “smart guy” I would hate to see your example of a stupid guy. It’s very interesting and funny how many people here keep talking about the mess the US is in or the so called “end of the American empire” but these are just wishes because I don’t see any change. Every country in the world was hit hard by the present economy (some more than others) but that’s it. As the economy starts to recover, the countries that were ahead before the mess, will be in the same place yet again. Say what you want but they are only words. One, two, three or more fronts, it doesn’t matter. They are not going to set America bankrupt the US like Afghanistan bankrupt Russia, which is “the” reason why that war ended.

NUTA I appreciate your patriotism and love for the US, however consider this: I have seen large game hunted with nothing more than a man with a very powerful bow and a razor sharp arrow head. The arrow often went straight through the animal, often without the animal even feeling it, never mind realizing that it had been fatally wounded and was bleeding to death internally. The hunter would track the wounded animal, often for many hours, whilst it continued to graze / forage / roam as normal, before it eventually collapsed. The US empire could be likened to an animal shot by an arrow. It does not yet realize that it is trouble, but the hunter, and other predators do. Watch the dynamics between China and the US, the EU and the US, and now even Iran and the US and you can see the 'predators' circling. Could it be that it is only the US that does not see that its wars and financial woes have wounded it as surely as a simple arrow can wound and bring down an animal the size of a buffalo?

@you say this because you forgot the slogans of imperialism & liberalism i will remind you " making an unbelievable heaven on the earth (with our leadership) the freedom freedom freedom free" and i say a "big lie" for despoiling the world .a big lie for destroying the soviet union for injustice, for new colonialism. yeah this is the war of ideologies you should not just look at economy crisis (indeed us is the cause) . look at the slogans that are under their own feet. and the important point is that the people of the world are aware.

This is a bold statement, and message, to the West. Roughly translated is says 'Iran is a regional power, Iran will act like a regional power, and you will show Iran the respect a regional power deserves'. The US, UK, and Israel seem incapable of recognising the above and seem more interested in confrontation than negotiation.