Unplugged: What Will Iran Pull From Its Hat?

CBS News’ Washington Bureau Chief Christopher Isham said on “Washington Unplugged” Monday that we should stay tuned to see what Iran’s next move is after the upcoming October 1 meetings between Iran, the U.S. and five other nations.

“It will be interesting to see what the Iranians pull out of their hat,” he said. “These guys are very good at playing games and making it appear as if they are cooperating when in fact they are not. They have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves.”

Isham indicated that Iran was reminded they are under some serious international pressure when Russia said sanctions may be unavoidable at the United Nations last week.

“They could always count on Russia not to enforce, not to recommend harsh sanctions,” the bureau chief said.

“The real problem, I think down the road, is what happens if the sanctions don’t work? Then you are looking at increasingly an Iran that is going down the road of acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he said.

On Afghanistan, Isham said the White House and military commanders are at odds about how to proceed.

He said there is a “confrontation” between military leaders who are arguing that they need more resources and the White House, which is saying “we need to think about this, we need to deliberate.”

“Of course the way that’s perceived by our allies and our adversaries can be [that the administration is] dithering,” Isham said.

Moderator John Dickerson played a clip from David Martin’s interview with General McChrystal, the top military commander in Afghanistan, for “60 Minutes.” In it, the general divulges that he has only spoken with President Obama once since being put in charge of the war.

The relationship, Isham said, “is quite a contrast from Bush. who spoke to [General David] Petraeus when he was commander in Iraq at least once a week.”

“It also raises the question again of whether or not this administration feels the urgency that the military leaders, military commanders on the ground feel.”

Watch the full interview above. "Washington Unplugged" appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.