article_snippet: There is no clear-cut link between the negotiations on a nuclear deal and U.S.-Iranian co-operation elsewhere.
article_snippet: Last week, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Congressional hearing: "I really don't think that the negotiations, one way or the other, will have much bearing on what [the Iranians] do in Iraq or any place they are trying to exert they influence, meaning Syria or now Yemen.
article_snippet: In any case, a substantive agreement on Iran's nuclear program does not seem imminent.
article_snippet: Ahead of yet another meeting in Switzerland with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that "unless Iran is able to make the difficult decisions that will be required, there won't be a deal.
article_snippet: And U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was at pains to insist the U.S. the U.S. would not settle for anything less than a comprehensive, watertight agreement.
article_snippet: No deal is better than a bad deal because a bad deal could actually make things less secure," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.
article_snippet: My decision making, with respect to military options versus diplomatic options, a containment strategy versus a strike strategy," My decision making, with respect to military options versus diplomatic options, a containment strategy versus a strike strategy told the New York Times in November 2007, "is going to be informed by how is that going to impact not just Iran, but how is that going to impact the stability of the region and how's that going to impact our long-term security interests.
article_snippet: Eight years on, it is diplomacy and containment that are the centerpiece of My decision making, with respect to military options versus diplomatic options, a containment strategy versus a strike strategy administration's thrust for a signature achievement on the world stage.