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A hallmark of the Obama administration's Iran policy has been a dual track approach to its contentious nuclear program: diplomacy, and pressure on the regime.  An improvement, to be sure, over President Obama's predecessor's policy -- essentially all pressure and no diplomacy -- but pressure, the Iranians have stated time and time again, will not achieve its stated goal, namely, that Iran suspend enrichment of uranium on its soil and that Iran negotiate in earnest over what kind of nuclear technology the West will allow it to possess.  Diplomacy that is hobbled by pressure will not succeed either.  Perhaps Western and Israeli leaders have a difficult or impossible time separating Iranian rhetoric from reality, but anyone who knows the Iranians should easily recognize that they're not exaggerating or lying when they say they refuse to compromise under pressure and threats, and that they don't appreciate being likened to farm animals, as they believe they are, whenever "carrots and sticks" are promoted as a policy to force them to change their behavior.