Senator John McCain (R) of Arizona has commented on US-Iran negotiations or direct talks:

Tehran should renounce its idea of removing Israel from the map as also pursuit of nuclear weapons if it wants o have direct talks with US. "As soon as the President of Iran renounces ...Two things. One is (Iran's) dedication to the extinction of the state of Israel, and the other, if it's not going to be decided with bombs, then stop your pursuit of the acquisition of nuclear weapons."

Senator McCain's concerns with Iranian nuclear threat is legitimate. And so are those of the people of Iran. And they are exactly what McCain's gets wrong in his argument. Putting "security" ahead of the "freedoms" and the "human rights" of the people of Iran is a fatal mistake many make when thinking of the crisis in the Middle East. They should be reminded that even if the government of Iran abandons its current nuclear program and threats against Israel, which in McCain's view should qualify them for direct talks and exchange, there is no guarantee the crisis won't reveal itself in the (very) near future due to the repressive form of the government. When people cannot freely discuss and decide about the policies their government chooses to pursue (for its own protection) there is absolutely no guarantee that the day after the current government abandons its nuclear ambitions, it or the next administration, won't reopen another or even the same program, if it is seen beneficial to the survival of their tyranny, always at the expense of the ordinary people everywhere.