Falconer
FULL MEMBER
New Recruit
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2008
- Messages
- 98
- Reaction score
- 0
The fourth round of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council on Iran on Wednesday is bound to trigger a new Tehran-centred nuclear crisis. UNSC resolution 1929 slaps new punitive measures on Tehran that include financial curbs, an expanded arms embargo and permission to seize cargo related to Iranian activities. American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described the sanctions as the most significant that Iran has ever faced but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has rejected them as a handkerchief which should be thrown in the dustbin.
Given Irans hard-line stance it is unlikely that the new sanctions will achieve their goal of making Tehran suspend uranium enrichment. What is worse is that the polarisation in the world community is bound to intensify, with many countries viewing Iran as a means to address their energy concerns. Iran has survived three rounds of sanctions since 2006 without moderating its stance. With the crucial energy sector having been omitted under resistance from Russia and China in the watered-down new sanctions regime there is no reason why Tehran, as per Mr Ahmadinejads prediction, will not survive this time too.
The only way of pre-empting Irans acquisition of nuclear weapons that is if that intention indeed exists is to engage with Tehran on the issue of uranium enrichment. Turkey and Brazil were therefore right in seeking to pave the way to a negotiated settlement by entering into a nuclear fuel swap that would require Tehran to ship the bulk of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey for safekeeping until an equivalent mass of nuclear fuel was delivered to Tehran. This deal was originally proposed by the Obama administration in October 2009. Brazilian President Lula acted as the intermediary to get Iran to agree only to have the US regress on its offer.
This is a dangerous game especially at a time when the International Atomic Energy Agency has yet to certify that Iran is indeed manufacturing nuclear weapons. President Obama will lose the goodwill of many. Lebanon abstained on the sanctions resolution and many in the Muslim world will support Iran. The American move is being seen as having come as a result of pressure from the Israel lobby and the big arms manufacturers who want to see Iran defanged. But caught in a dilemma China and Russia do not see eye to eye with America President Obama needs to do some clear thinking on Iran. Meanwhile, Iran would do well to assuage the fears of many countries regarding its nuclear ambitions by being more transparent about its atomic programme.
Given Irans hard-line stance it is unlikely that the new sanctions will achieve their goal of making Tehran suspend uranium enrichment. What is worse is that the polarisation in the world community is bound to intensify, with many countries viewing Iran as a means to address their energy concerns. Iran has survived three rounds of sanctions since 2006 without moderating its stance. With the crucial energy sector having been omitted under resistance from Russia and China in the watered-down new sanctions regime there is no reason why Tehran, as per Mr Ahmadinejads prediction, will not survive this time too.
The only way of pre-empting Irans acquisition of nuclear weapons that is if that intention indeed exists is to engage with Tehran on the issue of uranium enrichment. Turkey and Brazil were therefore right in seeking to pave the way to a negotiated settlement by entering into a nuclear fuel swap that would require Tehran to ship the bulk of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey for safekeeping until an equivalent mass of nuclear fuel was delivered to Tehran. This deal was originally proposed by the Obama administration in October 2009. Brazilian President Lula acted as the intermediary to get Iran to agree only to have the US regress on its offer.
This is a dangerous game especially at a time when the International Atomic Energy Agency has yet to certify that Iran is indeed manufacturing nuclear weapons. President Obama will lose the goodwill of many. Lebanon abstained on the sanctions resolution and many in the Muslim world will support Iran. The American move is being seen as having come as a result of pressure from the Israel lobby and the big arms manufacturers who want to see Iran defanged. But caught in a dilemma China and Russia do not see eye to eye with America President Obama needs to do some clear thinking on Iran. Meanwhile, Iran would do well to assuage the fears of many countries regarding its nuclear ambitions by being more transparent about its atomic programme.
