Grim news out of the Middle East today.

Seemingly oblivious to increasing the chances of potentially fateful confrontation, Iran this week abruptly informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it would resume nuclear-fuel research next week, and as a follow-up, failed to show up for a scheduled meeting with the UN watchdog to explain what it intended doing.

I am running out on errands but will have more on this later.