Guided by such thinking, Teheran continues to pursue a hostile and unyielding stance when dealing with Washington.

However, in the US, where the Republicans view Iran as a realistic threat, the policy of the Democrats is not expected to be vastly different.

For example, Democrat presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, who has advocated using diplomatic and political solutions to resolve the Iran issue, has not ruled out the possibility of a military strike.

Such serious misjudgment of each other's strategies, coupled with the intensifying standoff between the two sides, can only add fuel to the tense situation and significantly increase the possibility of the US launching a military strike against Iran.

Against this backdrop, the Bush administration, with its remaining days in office, has three strategic options to deal with Iran.

First, Washington should try to reach a compromise with Teheran.

Under such scenario, the US should acknowledge Iran as a big power in the Middle East region and embark on diplomatic talks with Teheran to resolve issues that are troubling both, such as the rebuilding of Iraq, and Iran's security.

But this option, however, seems highly unlikely to be adopted given the reality on the ground.

Second, the US could continue its seemingly strategic containment of Iran, a policy that has been followed in the past three decades.