What a deal with Iran could look like

Leslie H. Gelb writes in the Daily Beast that the West is on the track of war with Iran. Of course, we all know that. But why not just go to war now? I mean, if that is what everyone wants?

Well . . . simple. Because this is about the strategy of diplomacy: who can create an environment to their favor and get the other to back down or pull away . . . or, perhaps, even find a "win-win." Think Cuban Missile Crisis.

So, here's the simple solution, writes Gelb:

The peace package is simple: Iran keeps its uranium facilities but with capabilities to enrich reduced to levels fit only for civilian use. Tehran also agrees to the tightest international verification procedures. The West lifts sanctions gradually as Iran complies with both reconfiguring its nuclear plants and accepts the necessary verification. For sure, President Obama has tried similar proposals before. This time, however, Iran may find that the biting economic pressures make the deal more palatable. For sure, neither I nor anyone else knows whether Iran will accept this time. But I do know this: if we don’t at least try the negotiating track, a war of untold uncertainties and dangers can come upon us.