President Obama's mistake was that he emitted confusing signals. On one hand, he would show respect for the leaders in Tehran, offering to work with them, but on the other his methods of pressuring the government in Tehran appeared to bear little respect for the Iranian leaders; he would paint his image as an advocate of peace and diplomacy, but on the other hand, he would insist on having all options on the table. What went wrong with Obama's stance on the Iranian nuclear issue, as with many other is  sues under his presidency including many of his domestic issues, was that the president attempted too hard to make everyone happy, but ended up pleasing no one. He offered a hand of friendship to Iran, but never gave it enough time because he wanted to reconcile with Washington's more hard-line voices against Iran too. In his balancing act, he flip-flopped between a soft and a tough stance, but none ever worked.
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