More on Gates’ attempts to reassure US allies on Iran:

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday there is “no grand bargain” with Iran as the United States tries to bolster relations with the Teheran government.

Asked by reporters what kind of progress the US is hoping for with Iran, Gates said he didn’t know what was possible.

The US is still waiting to see how the Iranians respond to President Barack Obama’s outreach, Gates said, but so far the rhetoric from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been “not very encouraging.”

Not very encouraging?
But there were also denials of a secret “grand bargain” between the US and Iran.

“But I think concerns out there of some kind of a grand bargain developed in secret are completely unrealistic.”

I hadn’t thought that would even be possible, but denials like this make me wonder.