Iran diplomacy under the spotlight as US goes hard on military options

''US and Israeli defence chiefs are expected on Thursday to discuss possible military exercises that would prepare for a worst-case scenario to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities should diplomacy fail and if their nations’ leaders request it, a senior US official told Reuters.''

This is the strapline that is doing the rounds today which is likely to play into the oil markets in the forthcoming sessions.

The Iranians seem determined to become a nuclear power against the wishes of the US. ''However, if Biden fails to dissuade them, Israel may decide to take the matter into their own hands,'' analysts at Rabobank warned.

''Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,'' Reuters reported. “We’re in this pickle because Iran’s nuclear program is advancing to a point beyond which it has any conventional rationale,” a US official said.