Thursday, March 09, 2006
Iranian Disputed Nuclear Program
Currently I am so anxious about my own life as I see it tied to the policies of the Iranian government at the current stage of my life and ambitions. Now, the Iranian disputed nuclear program is going to be further discussed at the UN Security Council in New York along with the IAEA. What is going to happen? Here is what I quote from some news and analysis:
- Formal Security Council involvement opens a new dimension because the U.N. body could impose economic and political sanctions against Iran. Such action is unlikely because of opposition from Russia and China, which have strategic and commercial ties with Tehran.
- In comments to the IAEA board meeting, Gregory Schulte, the U.S. delegate to the agency, said the 85 tons of feedstock uranium gas already produced by Iran "if enriched, could produce enough material for about 10 nuclear weapons."
- If Iran does not respond to words and resolutions, "then we believe that the world community should entertain the possibility of sanctions against Iran," Nicholas Burns said.
- Iran threatened the United States with "harm and pain" Wednesday if the U.S. tries to use the U.N. Security Council  which has the power to impose sanctions  as a lever to punish Tehran for its suspect nuclear program.
- Sergei Lavrov - Russian Foreign Minister - said on Wednesday that imposing U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran would be ineffective in convincing Tehran to curb its nuclear ambitions. REUTERS/Keith Bedford
- Most diplomats agree the 15-nation council would issue a statement urging Iran to comply with resolutions taken by the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Evelyn Leopold/ABC News
- China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing called for more negotiations, saying, "There is still room for cooperation" and "we support the European Union and Russian engagement with Iran." China is known to oppose sanctions. Evelyn Leopold/ABC News
- Germany, Britain and France, the Europeanegotiatorrs with Iran, agree that diplomacy is not yet finished. But in a statement in Vienna they made clear that Iran's lack of cooperation with the IAEA "has made Security Council action inevitable." Evelyn Leopold/ABC News
- Iran has proposed suspending industrial-scale enrichment but doing research work, but the West says even small-scale enrichment is too dangerous. Iranian security official Javad Vaidi, who led the Iranian delegation here, threatened reprisals against the United States. Daily Times