Surprise! Talks between the six powers - the US, EU, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China - and Iran have ended in total, complete, embarrassing failure. Those familiar with the iconic Peanuts gambit with Lucy assuring Charlie Brown that she will hold the football so he can kick it - only to yank it away at the last moment - will recognize Iran's nuclear negotiating strategy. Financial Times: As Israel and the US make contingency plans for a possible strike, the six powers - the US, EU, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China - put a proposal to Iran that would have seen Tehran freeze its production of more highly enriched uranium in return for a package of inducements from the US and EU, such as providing parts for Iranian civil aircraft. But after often fraught bargaining in Baghdad, diplomats left declaring they had made no progress at all. "It's been a difficult few days," said a European diplomat in Baghdad. "After our first meeting in Istanbul with Iran a few weeks ago, we were...(Read Full Post)