Spitting into the nuclear wind

ElBaradei: Reopening Iranian Nuclear Enrichment Plant a Dangerous Escalation:

Anne Penketh (Independent-UK) - The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, warned in an interview that if Iran carries out a threat to reopen its mothballed Natanz underground enrichment plant, a dangerous escalation will ensue. Although IAEA officials have said it would take at least two years for Natanz to become fully operational, ElBaradei believes that once the facility is up and running, the Iranians could be "a few months" away from a nuclear weapon. "I know they are trying to acquire the full fuel cycle. I know that acquiring the full fuel cycle means that a country is months away from nuclear weapons," he said.

It is generally believed that Iran holds all the cards at this point. If referred to the Security Council, the Iranians could use their oil-charged political influence to prevent any punitive action.

U.S. and Britain Try a New Tack on Iran:

Steven R. Weisman and David E. Sanger (New York Times) - Britain and the U.S. are trying to persuade Russia and China to endorse their conclusion, derived from what officials call new evidence, that Tehran intends to build nuclear weapons, American and European diplomats said. The new effort, floated by Britain and endorsed by France and the U.S., seeks a declaration on Iran from the five major nuclear weapons powers that are the permanent members of the Security Council. "If we could get China and Russia to agree that this bears all the hallmarks of a weapons program, it could have an enormous impact on Iran," said one senior European diplomat, because it might signal that if the issue reaches the Security Council, Iran could not count on Beijing or Moscow blocking action.

U.S. Gathers Allies for Iran Sanctions:

Nathan Guttman (Jerusalem Post) - The U.S. administration has been working with European and Japanese allies on a "menu" of sanctions that could be imposed on Iran even if the issue is not referred to the UN Security Council. According to sources in Washington, the sanctions focus on trade issues, since almost half of Iran's trade is with Europe and Japan. American officials told their Israeli counterparts recently that the U.S. would take the Iran issue to the UN only if it is sure that the case is "veto proof."

Israel slams Russian arms sale to Iran:

HILARY LEILA KRIEGER and AP, THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 3, 2005 - Israeli officials strongly condemned the reported sale of Russian weapons to Iran Saturday, calling it a "very dangerous move."

Moscow is selling more than US$1 billion worth of missiles and other defensive systems to Teheran, according to Russian media reports.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin did not comment on any specifics of weapons deals, saying in a statement on Saturday only that they were "exclusively defensive weapons."

"All contracts concluded in the military-technical cooperation area fully comply with our international commitments, including in the sphere of nonproliferation, and are in full compliance with Russian law," he said, according to the statement.

The qualifications did not appease Israel. "Whether you call it defensive or offensive, it just encourages the regime in Iran to continue with its dangerous polices," said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman, Ra'anan Gissin.

Iran plans to construct two new nuclear reactors:

HILARY LEILA KRIEGER and AP, THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 3, 2005 - An Iranian news agency announced Sunday that Iran would begin construction on two nuclear reactors beginning in March. The report added that an Iranian parliamentarian confirmed that one of the reactors would be funded by Russia, at a cost of $1 billion, Army Radio said.

IDF Chief: Diplomatic Pressure on Iran Unlikely to Succeed:

Ha'aretz - Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said Sunday that he is skeptical that diplomatic pressure will put a halt to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"The fact that the Iranians are successful time after time in getting away from international pressure...encourages them to continue their nuclear project."

"I believe that the political means that are used by the Europeans and the U.S. to convince the Iranians to stop the project will not succeed," he said.

Posted on 05 December 2005 @ 14:24 GMT