"The
international community offered to overlook Iran’s past concealment of its
nuclear program and well-publicized enrichment activities. … it has proven its
inability to grab hold of the hand that was extended to it."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State Clinton in Moscow, October 13. It seems that the Russians aren't yet on board for increased sanctions on Tehran.
"Iran never misses an opportunity to miss
an opportunity."
The
above formulation, by former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban, was first applied
to the Palestinians [Arabs, actually], but it perfectly suits the mullah
regime's obstinate refusal to find an honorable solution to the Iranian nuclear
question.
It
was a golden opportunity that was offered Tehran, an offer that had been negotiated
in secret since June among the United States, Russia and the IAEA - the U.N.
agency charged with regulating access to nuclear power.
The
offer involved recovering 75 percent of Iran's stockpile of low-enriched
uranium - processed illegally - for further enrichment in Russia and additional
refining in France so that it may be used as fuel - legally - in Tehran’s
research reactor. The fuel would be provided for medical use, and could not be
used for military purposes.
Thus,
the international community offered to overlook Iran’s past concealment of its
nuclear program and well-publicized enrichment activities - a program that the
world had unsuccessfully attempted to suspend if not halt for over seven years.
The great advantage of deal was that it would have effectively delayed Iran’s capacity
to obtain nuclear weapons by several years.
The
Islamic Republic responded with a veritable snub. Iran's uranium enrichment
would continue. In defiance of several U.N. Security Council resolutions, the
mullahs assert that they prefer to keep the uranium they've already enriched and
buy whatever other materials they need to fuel their experimental reactor.
The
Iranian counter-offer seeks, once again, to buy time. This is obviously
unacceptable. But it won’t be the end of the story. The discussions have gone too
far to give up now; Barack Obama is in dire need of a diplomatic success.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Israeli-American
aerial drills, called Juniper
Cobra, show that the military option is still on the table, just as are
tougher sanctions. Everyone knows that talks will move forward only if the pressure
on Tehran is maintained. Only one thing has changed: Iran has proven its
inability to grab hold of the hand that was extended to it.
