If the two sides had both been pragmatic and adjusted their policies it would have been possible that this window of opportunity was opened wider and became a door to normalization of bilateral relations.

Much to the international community's disappointment, its expectations once again fell through on August 2, which means the Iran nuclear issue moved one step closer to the critical point and would force all parties concerned to pick between two totally different choices.

One choice is to continue pushing ahead along the political and diplomatic track. Right now the parties involved in the process have not given up just yet. The six major powers will shift their focus to the question of how to achieve some progress on the diplomatic front.

The US has repeatedly threatened to toughen sanctions against Iran in a bid to bring Teheran to its knees and won conditioned support from Britain and France. However, any success of diplomatic efforts depends on the key issue of whether Iran suspends its uranium enrichment program. The current situation shows it is very difficult for the US and Iran to reach some kind of a compromise over this issue.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Hoseyni Khamenei reiterated on July 30, "It is totally wrong and groundless to think that backing down from the right stand or making concessions can change the arrogant policies of global powers;" "Iran must keep a clear mind and move on;" "the future is bright," "(we) must not stop."

This again explained why the US was "highly suspicious" of Iran and believed Teheran did not "take Washington's 'substantial' actions seriously and unwilling to compromise. Under the circumstance it is highly unlikely for the US to take another step back, not before some major policy adjustment takes place, anyway.

As neither side is prepared to give in, the direct outcome is a fourth resolution to apply even more severe sanctions against Iran being tabled at the UN Security Council. But, having seen the previous three resolutions on sanctions all fail to make a dent it is very possible that the next one stands no bigger a chance to succeed than those before it.

If the fourth resolution on sanctions fails to achieve its goal, the Iran nuclear issue will remain unresolved. That means efforts to settle this issue through political and diplomatic channels will have reached a dead end and Iran will become a country with nuclear arms or a "threshold country" possessing the technology to produce nuclear weapons on its own; the Middle East situation will undergo a drastic change, and Israel as well as the US will find themselves in a very passive position.

That is a result most Americans and especially "hawks" like Vice-President Dick Cheney strongly oppose and will do anything to prevent. It is also a result that Israel can never accept. Unless the Iran-US-Israel relations are fundamentally improved at the same time, the choice left will no doubt be that the US and Israel launch separate or joint military attacks on Iran. And both the US and Israel held large-scale military exercises in recent months.

The Israeli chief of staff, transport minister, defense minister and foreign minister traveled to the US in close succession for talks with the White House, State Department and the Pentagon about the Iran nuclear issue. Multiple signs suggest the two countries are now divided only on details such as the order of policy priorities and the timing of military strikes.