Brian Todd
CNN Correspondent

Iraq seems to be moving to the back-burner on the campaign. The hot national security story right now: Iran. Several analysts say this is going to be the toughest international problem for the next president.

At a CNN forum (airing this weekend), Christiane Amanpour came up with an interesting hypothetical question for five former Secretaries of State: say it’s next January, after the next president’s inaugurated…Iran sends a message out of the blue, saying “we’re ready to work a deal, talk about anything.” How should the president respond? All five former Secretaries– three Republican, two Democrat—said the U.S. should talk to them, no strings attached.

At first glance, it seems that these statesmen (again, including three Republicans) are in agreement with Barack Obama. He’s said he would sit down face-to-face with Iran’s top leaders, no pre-conditions, and talk. John McCain’s slammed him for that, calling him naïve. McCain says he’ll continue to oppose a face-to-face with Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, without attaching strict conditions first.

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David Gergen
CNN Sr. Political Analyst
AC360° Contributor

It looks like gas could hit $5 a gallon shortly and perhaps even $6 a gallon by the end of the year. This is a huge problem for drivers, the auto industry and airlines, of course. And it could lead to significant changes in the way we live.

It also might have some grab in the presidential campaign: how much is the rumbling over a possible strike against Iran driving up prices? There was a lot of speculation last week about that. Then the price of oil went down yesterday because nothing happened over the weekend regarding Iran.

With Bush and the Israelis talking quietly about hitting Iran before Bush leaves office, and McCain and Obama in such different positions about how to handle Iran, it’s worth exploring higher energy prices. What’s behind them: is there really a conspiracy among speculators; what is the Iran connection? Keep reading

An Iranian man casts his vote in the parliamentary elections on March 14 in Tehran, Iran. Iranians have begun to vote in elections in which reformist opposition have been barred from running against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

As the three remaining presidential candidates begin staking out their positions on important foreign policy issues facing the country, each will have to explain how they plan to deal with an increasingly powerful, increasing belligerent Iran.

It is no exaggeration to say that America’s relations with the Islamic Republic hinges on who will be the next president and commander in chief.

Iran is having an election, too. But unlike the primary season in the United States, Iranians do not support the ballot choices offered to them by the regime of the Islamic Republic.

A new nationwide public opinion survey of Iran conducted by Terror Free Tomorrow and D3 Systems shows widespread disillusionment with the candidates running in the Parliamentary elections on March 14.  When asked which candidates they plan on supporting - whether Reformists or Conservatives - a third of Iranians replied “neither,” while a quarter said they do not know.

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