The more defiant Iran becomes, the more the spotlight is on the U.N. to try to find a diplomatic solution.

Shocked at this rebuke, Sarah took a step backward. “But I…I am the daughter of a marquess. I cannot marry either—”

“You are new here, so I will explain. In this land, nobility comes not from one’s fathers or a title or from the land one owns, but from one’s actions.” His voice was hard-edged, and his words seemed harsh to her. “The MacKinnon brothers are the highest nobility to those who live on the frontier—true warriors, men who know how to fight and survive, men who put the lives of others before their own. Your family’s wealth, your title, your virtue—they mean nothing out here. They won’t fill your belly, and they won’t keep you alive. What matters most right now is your survival.

Och, Sarah, how shall I call augh’ beautiful again unless it be the sight of you?

Now the game is afoot -- the U.N. has the ball and Iran is more defiant than ever.

There still is a lot of negotiating that will have to be completed in November, including the specifics of the agreements and time frames. But in essence, North Korea has agreed to end its existing nuclear weapons and ongoing development and to include inspections in exchange for a U.S. agreement not to invade or attack North Korea and to gradually normalize relations.

Everyone agreed on the need to find the diplomatic means to get Iran back into compliance with its international obligations and they also agreed on the need for further discussions of how to do that in the UN Security Council.