There is tremendously significant news out of Washington as of this hour, July 31, 2009, 6:22 AM PDT

The Obama administration has been talking for nearly a week with many segments of the Israeli government, about the nuclear threat caused by Iran’s continuation of their nuclear program.

Here’s the short story of what looks like has been agreed upon by both Washington and Tel Aviv. It takes Israel off the hook, and puts the US squarely opposed to Iran.

A. The US will keep trying diplomacy, probably until early September.

B. If no progress, there will be increasingly ‘harsh sanctions’.

C. If Iran continues their progress in the nuclear realm despite the sanctions, the US will go to the military option.

The problem with B, however, is that the sanctions may include an embargo and a blockade on Iran’s ports. Iran has already stated clearly that they will see those actions as a declaration of war by the United States. From what I have read of International Law, we will technically be at war with Iran the moment we board an Iranian ship in a blockade situation. Iran has promised to shut down the Strait of Hormuz the moment war begins.

We have seen this possible scenario mentioned in past months by various sources. And elements of the US Armed Forces have had a training exercise that looked a lot like a blockade of Iran some months ago along the narrows of the Cape Fear River. But today is the first time it has been officially declared to the world, according to early reports, by US defense secretary Robert Gates and national security adviser James Jones.

If true, and it looks like it is true, then we seem to be headed to the brink of war.

More about this as information become available.