Today I am going to catch up on several news stories about the Iran nuclear program. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have imposed harsh trade sanctions to try to get Iran to stop enriching uranium. They fear that Iran is working on developing nuclear weapons. While the U.S. and other major powers are trying to cut a temporary deal with Iran, Israel is lobbying for even more severe sanctions and threatening to take unilateral military action to stop Iran. Saudi Arabia may obtain nuclear weapons from Pakistan if the Iranians do develop a nuclear bomb.
Recently a dissident group named the National Council of Resistance of Iran claimed that Iran has added another nuclear site to its program. They demand that U.N. inspectors be granted immediate access to the new undeclared site. The new site is supposed to be in an eighteen hundred foot tunnel complex at a military site beneath a mountain near the town of Mobarekeh. The dissidents say that Iran is creating a secret parallel nuclear program in addition to its publicly identified nuclear research sites. The U.N. fears that such a complex may contain thousands of centrifuges dedicated to the enrichment of uranium to the point where it could be used in a bomb. The U.N. Security Council is demanding access to any additional undeclared nuclear research sites.
Israel is frustrated by the failure of the U.S. and other nations to take a harder line against Iran over its nuclear program. The Israeli Prime Minister says that the “temporary” deal being discussed with Iran would not stop their nuclear program and would just give them more time to develop nuclear weapons as they stall during negotiation for a final deal to shut down their nuclear program. The Prime Minister is going to go to Moscow to try to get more support from the Kremlin for stricter trade sanctions against Iran. He says that the interim deal being discussed will not deprive Iran of its centrifuges for enriching uranium and that any temporary halt to enrichment activities can be reversed in weeks. The Prime Minister hopes that he can persuade Russia to support removal of Iran’s centrifuges. Russia has a strong relationship with Iran and has provided technical assistance for Iran’s nuclear program.
France, one of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, is upset with recent remarks about Israel attributed to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. In a speech before a paramilitary group, Khamenei said that he supports the negotiations but that Iran will not give up its “nuclear rights” which critics of the regime say are a reference to the right of Iran to enrich uranium. Iran is a signatory of international treaties that allow members to enrich uranium for peaceful nuclear power programs. The Supreme Leader referred to Israel as the “rabid dog” of the Middle East which is trying to “torpedo” the negotiations. He also said that Israel’s leaders were “not worthy to be called human.” France said that the comments were not helpful and that they would make negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program more difficult.
The international community’s attempt to restrain Iran’s potential development of nuclear weapons is causing a lot of acrimony between old allies and cooperation between old enemies. The situation is very complicated and potentially very dangerous. As I have said before, if Israel decides to strike Iran, it could lead to a wider war.
