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U.S. Pushes U.N. to Take Tough Measures on Iran
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday called on the U.N. Security Council to take “strong steps” in response to Iran’s announcement that it has made significant advances in its uranium enrichment capability, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, April 12). Washington is pressing for Security Council approval of travel and financial restrictions on Iranian leaders, the New York Times reported today (New York Times, April 13). Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Wang Guangya said the Security Council’s five permanent members and Germany would meet in the next few days to discuss the issue, while Russia and the European Union joined the United States in condemning Tehran’s announcement. Moscow, however, warned against attempting to resolve the crisis militarily. “If such [military] plans exist they will not be able to solve this problem,” said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “On the contrary they could create a dangerous explosive blaze in the Middle East, where there are already enough blazes.” Wang said he hoped International Atomic Energy Agency Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, who is now in Iran, could persuade leaders there to cooperate. “I do hope that the Iranians will take note of the reactions and be more cooperative with the IAEA and also with the Security Council,” Wang said (Barbash/Lynch, Washington Post). ElBaradei, upon arriving in Tehran, said “we hope to convince Iran to take confidence-building measures including suspension of uranium enrichment activities until outstanding issues are clarified,” Reuters reported. Western analysts said yesterday that Iranian officials were exaggerating Tehran’s uranium enrichment capabilities when they threatened to soon start up 54,000 centrifuges, the New York Times reported. They said Iran’s announcements yesterday have not altered current estimates that it could take five to 10 or more years for the country to acquire the capability to manufacture a single nuclear bomb. “They’re hyping it,” said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. Anthony Cordesman and Khalid al-Rodhan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies also called the new claims “little more than vacuous political posturing” intended to stir Iranian nationalism (New York Times, April 13). However, a top U.S. official said yesterday that Iran if it meets its centrifuge goals could quickly produce weaponizable uranium, Bloomberg reported. “Using those 50,000 centrifuges they could produce enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon in 16 days,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Rademaker. Rademaker added that Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of its intent to assemble 3,000 centrifuges next year at the Natanz facility. “We calculate that a 3,000-machine cascade could produce enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon within 271 days,” he said (Bloomberg, April 12). Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country would not halt uranium enrichment, Reuters reported today. “Our answer to those who are angry about Iran obtaining the full nuclear cycle is one phrase, we say: Be angry and die of this anger,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying last night. “We will not hold talks with anyone about the Iranian nation’s right (to enrichment) and no one has the right to step back, even one iota,” he said. IAEA diplomats cautioned against expecting a compromise. “It’s wishful thinking to think Iran would shut down the nuclear process entirely now,” said one diplomat. “They have obviously achieved a significant advance at the research and development level and want to present it as a fait accompli to strengthen their bargaining position with the West” (Parisa Hafezi, Reuters I/Yahoo!News, April 13). Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said the Bush administration should conduct direct nuclear negotiations with Iran, Financial Times reported today. “It merits talking to the Iranians about the full range of our relationship ... everything from energy to terrorism to weapons to Iraq,” he told the Times. “We can be diplomatically astute enough to do it without giving anything away.” “I saluted not talking to the Iranians solely about Iraq because it seems to give them a bigger stake in the outcome of the country than they deserve,” he added. While Armitage said he thought Washington could persuade China and Russia to place sanctions on Iran, he questioned the value of such a move. “You could get travel bans and things of this nature on certain people,” he said. “China and Russia would be able to sell it to the Iranians as ‘look, this is a piece of cake, it is limited and targeted.’ I think there is a small possibility but we are a ways away from that” (Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, April 13). China announced that Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai beginning tomorrow would travel to Iran and Russia for talks on the nuclear issue, Agence France-Presse reported. “We are concerned about the announcement and are also worried about the possible development of the situation,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (Agence France-Presse I/Interactive Investor, April 13). Meanwhile, British Ambassador to Russia Tony Brenton said yesterday that the Security Council is prepared to go “as far as is necessary” to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, AFP reported. Asked about possible military action, he said: “We are a very long way from that question seriously arising” (Agence France-Presse II/IranMania.com, April 12). French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said today that Iran’s continuation of uranium enrichment could not be supported on the grounds of pursuing a nuclear energy program, AFP reported. “No civilian need justifies the enrichment activities undertaken by Iran,” he said. “There is no trust today between Iran and the international community, because of doubts about the nature of Iran's nuclear program,” he added. Douste-Blazy said military action against Iran was “absolutely not on the cards” (Agence France-Presse III/The Tocqueville Connection, April 13). Diplomats told Reuters that Iran’s announcement has heightened the debate over an appropriate international response. “We are running out of options,” one European diplomat who deals with nonproliferation issues told Reuters yesterday. “The Iranians are producing facts on the ground and we’re not responding fast enough.” “We don’t know what to do. Iran is a real headache now,” said a senior Russian official in Washington. Some experts said the stakes must be raised. “What’s needed is to change radically Iran’s calculations of the costs and benefits” of pursuing nuclear weapons, said Robert Einhorn of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. That means “the Russians and the Chinese being prepared to cooperate in penalties (on Iran) but it also means the United States being prepared to engage directly with Iran and offer the prospect of a more normal relationship with this regime,” he said. However, U.S. officials said there was no indication that the Bush administration is open to discussing the issue with Tehran (Carol Giacomo, Reuters II/Yahoo!News, April 12). U.S. President George W. Bush is particularly exasperated by his Iranian counterpart, the Post reported today. Bush’s chief political adviser, Karl Rove, said yesterday that a diplomatic solution is difficult to forge because Ahmadinejad “is not a rational human being.” As a result, some experts said, the administration has few alternatives. “At this point, your options seem to be not good and scarce,” said Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Your other option is living with it … and I think that’s what will happen.” “Their Plan A is to put incremental pressure on Iran so it will cave,” said retired Air Force Col. P.J. Crowley of the Center for American Progress. “And there is no Plan B” (Peter Baker, Washington Post II, April 13).
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