The fundamental question is this: Are Israel and America's views on a negotiated settlement with Iran ultimately reconcilable or not? Was there-- and is there now -- a way to clinch a lasting deal with Iran on its nuclear program that also satisfies Israel? 

The answer lies in understanding that the details of the deal are not the real problem. It's rather the very idea of Washington and Tehran reaching any agreement that not only prevents Iran from developing a bomb, but also reduces U.S.-Iran tensions and lifts sanctions that have prevented Iran from enhancing its regional power. 

Many of Washington's partners in the Middle East worry more about a U.S.-Iranian rapprochement and its geopolitical implications -- a likely tilt in the regional balance of power in Iran's favor, especially given the widespread perception the United States is eager to extricate itself from the neighborhood -- than Iran's nuclear advances. "So long as the United States works to contain Iran's political influence and undermine its economy," I wrote in Foreign Affairs in February, "the balance of the region will artificially tilt in favor of these states -- a tilt that their own power cannot sustain."