Talks between Muqtada al-Sadr's henchmen and the Iraqi government, a farce or feint best described by Wretchard here, have "broken down." Or perhaps the brick refused to fly. Either way, the Iraqi government — via their erstwhile interlocuter, national security advisor Mowaffaq al-Rubaie — has announced that the vise will continue to tighten, peaceful alternatives exhausted. Another public announcement comes from the ever-candid Defense Minister Hazem al-Shaalan:

The operations are continuing in the city and will continue until the militia is forced to withdraw out of the city or they surrender to Iraqi authorities and benefit from the amnesty law which [was] announced by the prime minister.

We'll soon see if victory over Iran's patsy, and only that, will end the action.