How conveeeeeeenient...

On October 7th I asked this question to start my post:

Is this so we will ever so conveniently have no one our diplomats can talk to?:

General Petraeus, do you support a war with Iran? Do you support Bush and Cheney's obvious desire to attack Iran? What are you going to do about Iraq and Afghanistan if you start a third war? Have you considered what Iran's reaction will be if we do attack? Have you considered what the world's reaction will be if we do?

General Petraeus, do you have political ambitions?

The top US military commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, has accused Iran's ambassador of belonging to an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Gen Petraeus said Hassan Kazemi-Qomi was a member of the Quds Force, which the US believes backs foreign Islamic revolutionary movements.

Gen Petraeus said he had no doubt Iran was behind attacks that had led to the deaths of US soldiers.

Iran has so far not commented, but regularly denies any such involvement.

Separately, the US military said it had captured three Iranian-linked Shia militiamen believed responsible for abducting five British security contractors in May.

And then guess what I found today?: (my bold)

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Trade with Iran is something you'd like to see become less free. The US wants German banks to cut business ties with Iran, as part of an effort to convince the mullah-controlled regime to cooperate in the nuclear dispute.

Kimmitt: You're mistaken. It isn't the United States but the United Nations that insists on these sanctions. The UN Security Council has already adopted two resolutions on the issue. Another one is expected next month. I will meet with my counterparts in Europe this week to discuss the most effective things we can do in the interim to get an answer from Iran. We Americans have already made it clear that we are willing to make concessions. If Iran shows a willingness to abandon its nuclear program, we will join the European diplomatic effort.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are you satisfied with European support for the Iran sanctions?

Kimmitt: German banks and companies have taken some very important steps. For example, the number of Hermes export guarantees for trade with Iran has gone down significantly.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The Europeans see the US's call for tougher sanctions as a step closer to war. Can you rule out a war against Iran?

Kimmitt: The diplomatic approach has been and remains our priority. I think that the Europeans' approach to resolving the Iran crisis is extremely skillful. The only problem is that there are no real negotiating partners in Iran. We believe that economic sanctions could encourage the Iranians to enter into real negotiations.

Hmmmm.....