Two things are of utmost importance when playing international politics: timing and media manipulation. Crazy old Iran proves adept at both.

The semi-official Fars News Agency released this picture of a missile test that went down on Sunday — that's two days after the government fessed up to enriching uranium and one week before Iranian officials meet with U.S. representatives to discuss the nation's nuclear program. How serendipitous.

Iran, of course, say the plans are peaceful, but the rest of the world thinks they're fibbing. And Revolutionary Guard leader Gen. Hossein Salami's missile-related statement doesn't help matters: he insists Iran will "respond to any military action in a crushing manner." Yow.

But, no matter, because Iran got what it wanted: a bargain chip for next week's meeting and a guaranteed spot on the morning news cycle. Well played, but this won't likely endear you to people like Hillary Clinton. The Secretary of State said she and her crew will give Iran a chance to defend their "peaceful" claims, but she's not holding her breath. "We don't believe that they can present convincing evidence," she said on CBS' Face the Nation. And, really, can one blame her skepticism?