Posted on 12/01/2004 5:40:04 AM PST by OESY
...Because Iran's endless gaming of the IAEA is fast becoming a story of short memories getting shorter, it's useful to recap the events of just the past two weeks. In mid-November, Tehran finalized an agreement with Britain, France and Germany to suspend its uranium-enrichment program -- crucially and explicitly including the use of uranium-enriching centrifuges. In exchange, Europe promised not to refer the Islamic Republic's known and suspected breaches of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose economic sanctions.
No sooner was the ink dry on that agreement than Iran rushed to convert 22 tons of uranium ore into uranium hexaflouride gas, which can be enriched to weapons-grade levels. Then Iran proceeded to demand that it be allowed to operate 20 centrifuges, ostensibly for the purposes of research and development. On this point, however, the Europeans held firm, Iran relented, and the IAEA resolution was passed. But not before Iran obtained some further watering-down of the resolution's language.
Even without the 20 centrifuges, the Iranian-European entente is a triumph for Tehran. It gives the mullahs diplomatic cover against the U.S. It implies a promise of open-ended European economic, technical and political aid. And it gives Iran the right to restart its nuclear programs at any moment without even being in technical breach of the IAEA resolution. All this without even touching Iran's undeclared and illicit nuclear programs, which are active and numerous and mostly beyond the IAEA's capacity to monitor....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Europe and the UN are freedom's greatest enemies by being terrorism enablers.
We need to make clear to the Iranians that if they develop a bomb, and a nuke goes off mysteriously in the US, we will assume that they were behind it, and blow them to Kingdom Come.
The muslims just do not get it. Right now there are 1.2 billion muslims in the world. If a nuclear bomb goes off in the US there will no longer be any living muslims.
Having said that, I wish the US would take it's bunker busters and bomb the nuclear development sites to hell.
W will get the right munitions after the new congress is in.
I don't really believe that the US would retaliate with the bomb if NY were nuked by Islamic terrorists. Our leftist nuts would demand a trial, and the President would waiver. However, I do think that irrespective whether you are actually going to do it, you MUST tell them that if it happens, then they are toast.
Wrong. With the present administration, Iran and North Korea (military, not citizen populations) would be wiped from the face of the earth within 24 hours.
If so, then we'd be insane not to let that be known. So why don't we?
A weak agreement makes military action all the more likely. Particularly from Israel.
Maybe we have already, through diplomatic channels, but it hasn't been publicized. Or maybe the timing isn't right just yet.
I wish I could say I agree. I think that if you ask folks whether the US should blow up Tehran if a nuke explodes myteriously in NY, you'll find that there is very little support for it, except perhaps at the FreeRepublic. Your average "moderate" or liberal will want proof that Iran did it first. That's how they think.
Of course, the President is the one who decides, but I am not sure that even Bush would do it. And I doubt that we've made that threat.
You know, maybe it's time to get out of the UN and let it collapse.
Good point. Ironically, the antiwar movement that bolstered Saddam's confidence that he would prevail made war inevitable.
Yup. Pull out. Watch the rejoicing. Watch the UN Security Council enact a resolution against the United States. Watch the US give the finger to the world community. Watch the UN discover that the US was the only entity that would enforce UN resolutions. Watch them throw a hissy fit.
Seriously, that organization is just rotten to the core. One hard kick, and it will collapse.
In the future, can we count on you to post editorials that appear on opinionjournal.com?
My sense is that many viewers would appreciate your efforts on their behalf.
In the future, can we count on you to post editorials that appear on opinionjournal.com? ...........
I cannot promise. Usually important WSJ editorials are also in Opinion Journal.
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