This article from the Washington Institute stresses the need for speedy negotiations with Iran.  It argues that time is not really on our side when dealing with Tehran.  While I am in total agreement with this, another aspect of the article struck me even more.  The article mentions towards the end that by negotiating with Iran, we furthering the perception that Iran is a regional power and perhaps has even attained regional hegemony.  While the author stresses this is certainly not true, perception often equals reality.  We must be careful to negotiate from a position of strength to demonstrate to the Middle East that we do not view Iran as dominating the region and capable of standing up to the United States.