Free Republic

This is a quick and hilarious animated laugh about nukes and the end of the world. Seriously silly. Profanity abounds (mostly WTF).

Washington and Tel Aviv vow to take 'tangible action' to prevent Iran from acquiring 'nuclear weapons', an Israeli spokesman says. Israeli premier Ehud Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said on Friday that the diplomatic efforts to exert pressure on Iran to give up its uranium enrichment have so far been insufficient. "It is clear that additional steps will have to be taken," he continued. "We are on the same page. We both see the threat... And we both understand that tangible action is required to prevent the Iranians from moving forward on a nuclear weapon," said the Israeli spokesman. Regev then...

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accused President Bush on Thursday of launching a "false political attack" with a comment about appeasing terrorists and radicals. The Illinois senator interpreted the remark as a slam against him but the White House denied that Bush's words were in any way directed at Obama, who has said as president he would be willing to personally meet with Iran's leaders and those of other regimes the United States has deemed rogue. In a speech to Israel's Knesset, Bush said: "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as...

EVER since former Vice President Al Gore won an Oscar and a Nobel Prize for his fight against expanding climate change, there have been claims that nuclear power plants are the easy solution. They give phenomenal amounts of energy, after all, without much carbon production. Some who seek facile solutions say it's about time to dump the safeguards of 1976's Proposition 15, which essentially put a stop to atomic-power facility construction in California after completion of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant on the central coast. One example: Last fall, Republican Assemblyman Chuck DeVore of Orange County introduced a bill aiming...

As President Bush enters his final months in office, there are mounting signs of disarray when it comes to current U.S. policy towards Iran and North Korea. The three remaining plausible candidates to succeed him — Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain — have yet to explain how thier policies will differ from the current administration. Regarding Iran, for example, senior administration officials are continuously disavowing their own administration's National Intelligence Estimate, produced late last year, which suggested that Iran had halted a critical component of its nuclear weapons program. But the damage to American credibility has already occurred,...

A Republican U.S. senator said Tuesday he will try to block a U.S.-Russia civilian nuclear power deal if President Bush sends it to Congress, because he fears it could undermine efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation in Iran. Sen. Norm Coleman said he is teaming with Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh in circulating a letter that will urge Bush not to send the pact to Congress. Under the deal signed Tuesday, the United States would get access to Russian state-of-the art nuclear technology. The pact would help Russia establish an international nuclear fuel storage facility by importing and storing spent fuel. The...

Hillary Clinton has pledged to “obliterate” Iran if it strikes Israel with nuclear weapons (it doesn't yet have). Iran has protested the Democratic presidential candidate's fiery rhetoric as a violation of the UN Charter and asked for Security Council action. Sen. Barack Obama has condemned Senator Clinton's statement. All the sturm and drang misses one critical point. Israel does not need the US to counter attack. Israel has the world's sixth largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, behind only the US, Russia, China, the UK and (maybe) France. It can handle ANY Iranian threat on its own, thank you very much....

(IsraelNN.com) The Sunday Times of London reports that Israel's intelligence information on Iran's nuclear capabilities appears to belie the official United States stance on the issue. The US National Intelligence Estimate of last December concluded that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons development program in 2003. However, the Times reports, Israel has made a breakthrough in intelligence-gathering within Iran, and now fears that Iran has in fact made significant advances towards attaining nuclear power. A source quoted by the Times said the new information was "on a par with intelligence that led Israel to discover and then destroy a partly...

Located in the Iranian desert, the Natanz uranium-enrichment facility has been shrouded in secrecy. Many of the buildings there, visible in the aerial image from September 2002 on the far left, are now out of sight, buried underground, near left. The site is also protected by anti-aircraft guns and barbed wire. ...

MI6 Chief Visits Mossad for Talks on Iran's Nuclear Threat May 04, 2008 The Times Uzi Mahnaimi The head of MI6, Sir John Scarlett, is to visit Israel later this month as Britain forges closer links with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. Iran’s nuclear programme is expected to be high on the agenda in an intelligence-sharing process described by Israeli officials as a “strategic dialogue”. It is building on long-standing cooperation between MI6 and Mossad, both of which have extensive spy networks in the Middle East. Scarlett, 59, is likley to be briefed by Meir Dagan, 63, the head of...

This week on Covert Radio, Brett Winterble is joined by special guests, Daveed Gartenstein Ross from DefendDemocracy.Org talking about the Taliban, Pakistan and Somalia Pirates. Are they Al Qaeda? Listen to find out. Then Brett is joined by the always informative Olivier Guitta, from TheCroissant.Com. Olivier breaks down the story of the Swiss and the Italians cutting side deals with Iran! Is it time to make deals with Iran? Listen to find out! Finally Brett visits with Dr. Jeffrey Lewis the ArmsControlWonk.Com. Dr. Lewis is doing great work on the proliferation battle with Iran and now, Syria! Find out what...

JERUSALEM – Israel should give up its nuclear weapons to ensure Iran halts its illicit nuclear program, argues an adviser on nuclear issues to Sen. Barack Obama. Joseph Cirincione, director of nuclear policy at the Center for American Progress, also previously dismissed reports Israel's Sept. 6 airstrike targeted a Syrian nuclear reactor as "nonsense" and called Damascus' nuclear program "miniscule." Immediately following Israel's air raid, Cirincione listed "Israelis [who] want to thwart any dialogue between the U.S. and Syria" as among those spreading rumors Syria was constructing a nuclear facility.

An Israel Cabinet minister says Iran could have nuclear bomb technology in 2008, at least a year earlier than previously believed. Shaul Mofaz, a former defense minister and military chief, said in a speech Wednesday at Yale University in the United States that Iran could have the knowhow to build nuclear arms within months, his spokeswoman Talia Somech said Thursday. Despite international sanctions meant to persuade Iran to stop the program, Tehran is steadily progressing with its pursuit of nuclear technology, Somech cited Mofaz as saying.

DURING HIS RECENT TRIP TO Europe, President Bush sent mixed signals about U.S. policy with regard to Iran's development of nuclear weapons. At one point he dismissed the prospect of military action as ridiculous; immediately after, he emphasized all options were on the table; then at another point he suggested there might be "convergence" between U.S. and European views on how to address the problem. If the president seemed to be all over the lot, that may be because the policy choices with respect to Iran are complex, and none is without its drawbacks. Currently we are pursuing a "good...

In response to questions about the Iranian nuclear threat, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton recently adopted a dramatic stance. She has taken to talking about how, if she were president, she would "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacks our friends in the region with nuclear weapons. When asked during her most recent debate with Sen. Barack Obama in Philadelphia whether an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel would result in a U.S. nuclear attack on Iran, Mrs. Clinton responded: "Of course, I would make it clear to the Iranians that an attack on Israel would incur massive retaliation from the...

One of the most terrifying possibilities the world faces is that al-Qa'eda, or some other Islamist group, gets hold of a nuclear bomb. Islamist terrorists are certainly trying to obtain one: Osama bin Laden has issued a document entitled "The Nuclear Bomb of Islam", which insists it is "the duty" of Muslims to acquire a nuclear bomb in order to use "as much force as possible to terrorise the enemies of God". The Foreign Office's senior counter-terrorist official has "no doubt at all" that Islamist terrorists are actively seeking a nuclear device. "There are people" he adds dryly, "for whom...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If President George W. Bush wants to make progress on ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions before he leaves office next year, he first has to close the deal with Congress. The White House took a step to try to win congressional support on Thursday by laying out intelligence alleging that North Korea helped Syria to build a nuclear reactor that U.S. officials say was destroyed by Israel on September 6. The White House initially tried to keep the matter secret, fearing Damascus might be embarrassed by a public airing of the strike -- and the fact that...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Syria's ambassador to the United States said Friday that the CIA fabricated pictures allegedly taken inside a secret Syrian nuclear reactor and predicted that in the coming weeks the U.S. story about the site would "implode from within.""The photos presented to me yesterday were ludicrous, laughable," Ambassador Imad Moustapha told reporters at his Washington residence.However, he refused to say what the building in the remote eastern desert of Syria was used for before Israeli jets bombed it in September 2007.Senior U.S. intelligence officials said Thursday they believe it was a secret nuclear reactor meant to produce plutonium,...

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- The trial of Scooter Libbey proved one thing: Bush and Cheney were right -- along with Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, John Kerry, and every other Democrat and responsible world leader. Saddam Hussein WAS indeed actively working to develop and build a nuclear bomb, and posed a threat of a nuclear holocaust against American famlies. An internal memo from the U.S. State Department was declassified at the insistence of Scooter Libbey's defense attorneys (against Foggy Bottom's wishes). The memo has been posted by the ASSOCIATED PRESS at -- http://wid.ap.org/documents/libbytrial/jan23/DX71.pdf And the memo is fully...

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2008 – Syria’s building of a secret nuclear facility with North Korean help reinforces the need to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. “It should serve as a reminder to us all of the very real dangers of proliferation and need to rededicate ourselves to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, particularly into the hands of a state or a group with terrorist connections,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said during a Pentagon briefing. The reactor, destroyed by Israel in September before it...

Syria 'had covert nuclear scheme' The US says there were similarities between the Syrian and North Korean reactors The United States has accused North Korea of helping Syria build a nuclear reactor that "was not intended for peaceful purposes". The site, said to be like one in North Korea, was bombed by Israel in 2007. Syria must "come clean" about its secret nuclear programme, the White House said in a statement after CIA officials briefed members of Congress. Syria has repeated denials that it has any nuclear weapons programme, or any such agreement with North Korea. Syrian officials have...

Officials will tell Congress members this week that North Korea was helping Syria build a reactor last year when it was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, a U.S. official says. WASHINGTON — CIA officials will tell Congress on Thursday that North Korea had been helping Syria build a plutonium-based nuclear reactor, a U.S. official said, a disclosure that could touch off new resistance to the administration's plan to ease sanctions on Pyongyang. The CIA officials will tell lawmakers that they believe the reactor would have been capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons but was destroyed before it could do...

MANAMA (Reuters) - NATO's secretary-general told Gulf Arab states on Thursday that Iran's nuclear ambitions were a major threat to regional stability. "Iran's pursuit of uranium enrichment capability in violation of its U.N. Security Council obligations is a serious concern not just for Iran's neighbors but for the entire international community," Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a conference to promote ties between NATO and Gulf Arab states. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed solely at producing electricity but the West accuses it of trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. Gulf Arab states have also voiced concern...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080422/pl_nm/usa_politics_iran_dc&printer=1;_ylt=AgHS711vSCz6dVRGpZ.x0x0b.3QA Clinton says U.S. could "totally obliterate" Iran By David Morgan Tue Apr 22, 1:43 PM ET Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton warned Tehran on Tuesday that if she were president, the United States could "totally obliterate" Iran in retaliation for a nuclear strike against Israel. On the day of a crucial vote in her nomination battle against fellow Democrat Barack Obama, the New York senator said she wanted to make clear to Tehran what she was prepared to do as president in hopes that this warning would deter any Iranian nuclear attack against the Jewish state. "I want the...

More Emergency Prep Could Be Done, Experts Tell Senate -- Concerned that not enough attention is being paid to the risk of a nuclear attack, a Senate committee yesterday looked at the consequences of such a terrorist strike in Washington -- and said that more could be done to save lives. A hearing, called by the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, featured charts showing the horrific effects of a small nuclear device detonating near the White House. It was the panel's third session in recent months on the threat of a nuclear explosion. "The scenarios we discuss today...

President George W. Bush is fond of comparing himself to Ronald Reagan. But as he meets with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Washington this week, his policy regarding North Korea's nuclear weapons program looks more like something out of Bill Clinton's or Jimmy Carter's playbook. In dealing with the Soviet Union on arms control, Reagan was famous for repeating the Russian phrase, "Doveryai, no proveryai" (trust, but verify). Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reportedly once complained to Reagan, "You use that phrase every time we meet." To which Reagan smilingly replied, "That's because I like it so much." This administration...

Iran announced today that it was embarking on a plan to install 6,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium at its main nuclear plant, in defiance of United Nations sanctions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his announcement at Natanz, in central Iran, as the country marked a "national day of nuclear technology", which falls on the day in April 2006 when uranium was successfully enriched for the first time. According to the latest report by the UN's nuclear watchdog, Iran has already installed around 3,000 centrifuges at an underground enrichment facility in Natanz. Nuclear experts believe between 20,000 and 30,000 centrifuges would be...

Mashhad, 10 April(AKI) - Iran's hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday his country's objective was to destroy what he called corrupt western powers. "Our objective is to annihilate all corrupt powers that dominate our planet today," said Ahmadinejad. He was speaking in the holy Shia city of Mashhad, located 850 kilometres east of the Iranian capital Tehran at an event where he met Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade. Ahmadinejad also "advised" western powers to repent or, "otherwise Iranians will hoist their flag on the roof of their buildings." "Our enemies do not fear the technological, economical and industrial aspects of...

"Iran will be the first nuclear state in history against which deterrence won't work, even if the deterrent is nuclear," Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday at an international conference titled "Russia, the Middle East and the Challenge of Radical Islam." The conference was held at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem under the auspices of the center's Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies and the Eurasian Institute of the Inter-Disciplinary Center, Herzliya. "Nothing will stop the Iranians - not the use of force and not a fear of being hit in retaliation," he said, adding that "every Israeli withdrawal from territories...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's president says Iran has begun installing 6,000 centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the work on state television on Tuesday. Iran already has about 3,000 centrifuges operating in Natanz. The new announcement is seen as a show of defiance of international demands to halt a nuclear program. The U.S. and its allies say the program is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Iran denies those allegations.

Some 48 percent of Israeli Arabs believe Iran should be permitted to develop nuclear weapons, according to a poll released recently by the University of Haifa. Professor Sami Samuha, who supervised the poll, attributed the high level of support to Israeli Arabs' desire for "Israel not to be a strong state," or from the stance that "Israel must be stood up to by strong Arab or Muslim states that can restrain it." The survey also found that 75.5 percent of Israeli Arab citizens think Israel should hold direct negotiations with Hamas. Another 84 percent support a two state-solution, the poll...

Israel has admitted for the first time that an air strike in Syria last year was aimed at a nuclear facility built with assistance from North Korea.The Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun cited sources at the Japanese foreign ministry for its report of a meeting between Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, and Yasuo Fukuda, his Japanese opposite number.Mr Olmert is reported to have admitted that Israel carried out the bombing last September and that the target was a nuclear-related facility built using technical assistance from Pyongyang. There has been extensive speculation about the air attack last year, although...

VIENNA, Austria — Diplomats say that China has given the U.N. nuclear watchdog intelligence linked to Tehran's alleged attempts to make nuclear arms. The development is surprising because Beijing, along with Moscow, has opposed U.S.-led attempts to impose harsh penalties on Tehran over its nuclear defiance of the U.N. Security Council.

<p>On Sept. 6, something important happened in northern Syria. Problem is, no one knows exactly what. Except for those few who were involved, and they're not saying.</p> <p>We do know that Israel carried out an airstrike. How then do we know it was important? Because in Israel, where leaking is an art form, even the best-informed don't have a clue. They tell me they have never seen a better-kept secret. Which suggests that whatever happened near Dayr az Zawr was no accidental intrusion into Syrian airspace, no dry run for an attack on Iran, no strike on some conventional target such as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard base or a weapons shipment on its way to Hezbollah in Lebanon.</p>

Treasury Warns Of Deception By Iran Treasury Warns Banks That Iran Is Engaging In Deceptive Practices To Skirt Sanctions WASHINGTON, Mar. 27, 2008 (AP) The Bush administration issued a fresh warning Thursday to U.S. banks that Iran is using "an array of deceptive practices" to hide its alleged involvement in nuclear proliferation and terrorist activities. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network alleged that Iran is resorting to such alleged practices to evade detection and skirt financial sanctions. "The government of Iran disguises its involvement in proliferation and terrorism activities through an array of deceptive practices specifically designed to evade...

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Thursday said that it was “deeply regrettable” that North Korea had ordered South Korea officials to leave its territory, but that South Korea was undaunted by the move. The predawn expulsion on Thursday followed an announcement on Wednesday by the new South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, that his government would not expand economic cooperation with North Korea unless it cooperated in dismantling its nuclear weapons programs

China on Wednesday expressed its "grave concern and strong displeasure" over what the United States said was an accidental shipment of ballistic missile components to Taiwan. China has asked the United States "to thoroughly investigate this incident, and report their findings to the Chinese side in a timely, truthful and detailed manner," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement on the ministry's Web site. "We once again remind the United States to abide by the Sino-U.S. joint communique of August 17, and cease arm sales to Taiwan and contact with the Taiwanese military, in order to avoid damaging...

Unconditional Talks with Iran Could Lead to War Mar. 21, 2008 Talk to almost anybody in Washington about foreign policy these days and you are likely to hear that Iran is the number one "international problem" for the United States. Pundits and politicians are unanimous that dealing with the Islamic Republic will be one of the key issues of the presidential election campaign. The question is: what to do about Iran? It is clear that the leadership in Tehran, boosted by last week's parliamentary elections, is in no mood to offer concessions. The choice facing policymakers is between standing up...

CHERBOURG, France (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed Friday to reduce France's nuclear arsenal but said nuclear deterrence remained a "life-insurance" in the face of new threats from states like Iran. "Countries in Asia and the Middle East are rapidly developing ballistic capacities," he said in a defence policy speech to mark the inauguration of a new-generation nuclear submarine named The Terrible. "I am thinking in particular of Iran," which is "increasing the range of its missiles while serious suspicions weigh on its nuclear programme," said Sarkozy. It is "of course the security of Europe that is at stake," he...

President Bush said Thursday that Iran has declared that it wants to be a nuclear power with a weapon to "destroy people," including others in the Middle East, contradicting the judgments of a recent U.S. intelligence estimate. The president spoke in an interview intended to reach out to the Iranian public on the Persian new year and to express "moral support" for struggling freedom movements, particularly among youth and women. It was designed to stress U.S. support for Iran's quest for nuclear energy and the prospects that Washington and Tehran can "reconcile their differences" if Iran cooperates with the international...

Salvaging Our North Korea Policy.... By JOHN R. BOLTON There are signs, albeit small ones, that the Bush administration may be reaching the end of its patience with the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. These signs could prove illusory. But as it nears its end, the administration has a serious responsibility: It must not leave its successor with an ongoing, failed policy. At a minimum, President Bush should not bequeath to the next president only the burned-out hulk of the Six-Party Talks, and countless failed and violated North Korean commitments. Since they were conceived in spring 2003,...

It's time for politicians who say they're serious about fighting global warming to explain where they stand on nuclear power. Practically speaking, nukes are the only available source of energy we have that does not emit greenhouse gases (GHG) and can adequately supply Canada's future energy needs. Especially so, if we're going to achieve GHG emission cuts demanded by environmentalists to fight man-made global warming. Problem is, politicians don't like to acknowledge this, since most (but not all) environmentalists rabidly oppose nuclear power. To his credit, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, in charge of the province that is Canada's second-biggest emitter...

WASHINGTON —  The United States is imposing financial sanctions on a Bahrain bank the United States alleges is controlled by Iran's Bank Melli, which has been accused of providing support to Iran's nuclear program. The Treasury Department's action Wednesday targets Future Bank B.S.C. Any bank accounts or other financial assets found in the U.S. belonging to the bank must be frozen. Americans also are prohibited from doing business with the bank. It marked the government's latest effort to tighten the financial noose on Iran, which the United States accuses of bankrolling terrorism and seeking a nuclear bomb. The administration also has...

Normally this would be a sweet peg for a Mark Steyn “America Alone” allusion, but scroll down to pages 6-7 of the PDF and eyeball the graph and you’ll quickly see why that would be inapt. Of 21 countries surveyed, only four have actually gotten tougher on Iran over the last year as its “cheat and retreat” dithering has wore on: Israel, Turkey, South Korea, and … China. Any theories on that last one? Israel is self-explanatory, Turkey may fear Iranian encroachment on Iraq, South Korea may be spooked by the specter of Kim, but what’s to explain the change...

Iran ready to talk nuclear with Europe By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran - Iran is ready to negotiate with Europe over the Islamic republic's nuclear program if there were would be "meaningful and effective" results, Iran's foreign minister said Sunday. Manouchehr Mottaki's comments came just days after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to rule out any nuclear negotiations with Europe, saying the issue would only be discussed with the U.N. atomic watchdog agency. "We have always supported negotiations that are purposeful, meaningful and effective," Mottaki said when he was asked if Iran was ready to negotiate Javier Solana,...

Barack Obama's most senior military adviser says President Bush is to blame for Iran's bad behavior. This assessment provided to Insight from retired Gen. Merrill McPeak provides a glimpse into how an Obama administration would deal with Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly has referred to the ultimate destruction of Israel; is pursuing nuclear weapons in the opinion of some national security experts; and his Revolutionary Guard is training Iraqis to kill American military personnel in Iraq. Just last week, Ahmadinejad said of Israel, "The world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the...

The recent National Intelligence Estimate's conclusion that Tehran stopped its efforts to develop nuclear weapons in 2003, together with the significant drop in Iranian activity in Iraq, has created favorable conditions for the US to hold direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program. The Bush administration should act on this opportunity, if for no other reason than that its current position is growing weaker, and without such an initiative, Iran will continue its efforts to produce nuclear fuel that might, in the future, be used to build nuclear weapons. Currently, Iran has approximately three thousand centrifuges, which it has...

A little night music can soothe the savage beast, at least sometimes. This, alas, can give a well-meaning musician the idea that his tuba is mightier than his enemy's sword. Lorin Maazel, the musical director, boasted that his orchestra had thawed a cold war once before, with a concert in the old Soviet Union in 1959. After that it was inevitable that the Berlin Wall would come tumbling down. Mr. Maazel imagines that his Pyongyang concert was available to ordinary people, but the 2,500 men and women who filled every seat of the East Pyongyang Grand Theater were carefully chosen....

The United Nations Security Council has passed another resolution concerning Iran because its nuclear program is an unacceptable threat. Iran's violations of Security Council resolutions not only continue, but are deepening. Instead of suspending its proliferation-sensitive activities as the council has required, Iran is dramatically expanding the number of operating centrifuges and developing a new generation of centrifuges, testing one of them with nuclear fuel. Once again, Iran has not made the choice the world had hoped for; once again, the Security Council has no choice but to act. At stake is the security of a vital region of the...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran vowed to push ahead with uranium enrichment Tuesday, a day after the U.N. Security Council passed a third round of sanctions that Tehran called "worthless" and politically biased.The council approved the measures in a 14-0 vote, but unity among the major powers faltered Tuesday when Russia and China blocked an attempt by Western nations to introduce a resolution on Iran's nuclear defiance at a meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.The dispute reflected the often contentious relations between the West and Russia and China about how to deal with Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment and...