Feeling the Heat? Iran Floats 9-Point Plan to Stop Nukes

Iran is pushing a new nine-point plan to stop enriching uranium, but the US views the terms as so ridiculous—sanctions go away with little guarantee that Tehran will make good on the promise—that it looks to be a non-starter, reports the New York Times. This false start holds promise, though, because the Times says it might be a sign that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is genuinely feeling the pressure from sanctions. (Unrest over the nation's plummeting currency is the latest trouble spot.)

"Within the intelligence community, I think it’s fair to say that there is split opinion about whether the upper level of the regime is getting seriously worried,” says one intelligence official, adding that the ayatollah is "erratic" and tough to predict. (More Iran nuclear weapons program stories.)