Iran's President Does What U.S. Diplomacy Could Not

[ECH1969]

NEW YORK, Sept. 18 -- Five weeks ago, Iran's new president bought his country some time. Facing mounting criticism after walking away from negotiations with Europe and restarting part of Iran's nuclear program, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked the world to withhold diplomatic pressure while he put together new proposals.

On Saturday, dozens of international diplomats, including the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, gathered at the United Nations to hear how Ahmadinejad planned to stave off a crisis.

Instead his speech, followed by a confused hour-long news conference, was able to do what weeks of high-level U.S. diplomacy had not: convince skeptical allies that Iran may, in fact, use its nuclear energy program to build atomic bombs.

Ahmadinejad appeared to threaten as much when he warned from the General Assembly podium that in the face of U.S. provocation, "we will reconsider our entire approach to the nuclear issue."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091801144.html

[Massacure]

1. The U.S. has one little problem with Iran.

Iran possess Sunburn missiles which can effectively close off the Straights of Hormuz to any traffic coming from Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.

[Skink]

2. Let me guess we sold them those missiles..

[Massacure]

3. Russia actually.

They are specifically built to defeat the AEGIS missile defense system and sink the aircraft carriers the U.S. Navy has.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. You know I don't know for sure

I've read that China did in the early 90's, I've also read that the Ukraine did in the mid 90's.

The missiles are Russian technology to my knowledge. I am at a loss as to how Iran is supposed to have acquired them, however. I've tried to find out and read many conflicting stores. If someone has decent links I am more than receptive.

The thing is that many of these type of defense items are for sale to the highest bidder. Iran would have been smart to have purchased them, even IF they didn't (and why wouldn't they have?) they are still rumored to have them, which is something we cannot dispute.

[TroubleMan]

5. Actually it's more like 68,017,860 little problems

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html

Look at #20 on the list.

Of course Rummy will say we only need 1,000 troops to take the country.

[swag]

6. kicked and recommended

front-page worthy.

worst news all weekend.

[othermeans]

7. Here's a link to an explanation of the missile's capability

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/moskit.htm

[struggle4progress]

8. Maybe the war-mongers are simply trying to bait Iran into a temper tantrum

which they can then use for further escalation


... On Saturday, Ahmadinejad told the UN General Assembly that Iran had an "inalienable right" to produce nuclear energy, but said Iran did not have atomic weapons. His address was made just two days before a critical meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The United States and the European Union, who urged repeatedly Iran to give up any idea of enrichment capability, threatened to refer Iran to the UN Security Council ...

http://english.people.com.cn/200509/19/eng20050919_209311.html


... Europe and the United States want Iran to stop the uranium conversion process that restarted last month. Conversion is a step required before enrichment. Enrichment turns uranium into a
material that can fuel nuclear reactors ... The 35-nation International Atomic Energy Agency meets tomorrow in Austria. Iran's nuclear program is on the agenda. Iran said that if the agency asks the U.N. Security Council to consider sanctions against the Islamic Republic, there might be "radical results" ...
http://www.news10.net/storyfull3.aspx?storyid=13164


Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Iran was cooperating 'sufficiently' with the UN's nuclear watchdog over its suspected atomic programme and warned UN sanctions could cause new 'problems', in an interview with US television Fox News ...
http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2005/09/18/afx2230130.html


... Tehran insists its atomic program is for civilian energy purposes but the United States and other Western powers say it is aimed at building nuclear weapons. "It (the United Nations) must be able to deal with great challenges like terrorism and nuclear proliferation, especially when countries like Iran threaten the effectiveness of the global nonproliferation regime," Rice said. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency is set to consider on Monday whether to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions, a move the United States has been pushing ... http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17203037.htm


I've never liked the Iranian regime, but the Bushistas have been deliberately undermining the NPT since they've been in office, their claims about the alleged Iranian weapons program repeatedly turn out to be wrong, and we get puff-piece after puff-piece like this in the press designed to keep Americans war-ready.

Watch out! When Afghanistan bored Bush, he invaded Iraq and Haiti; when Iraq ceased to be fun, he delayed on New Orleans so he could send troops there; when "rebuilding" the Gulf states loses its lustre, he'll try to head off to Iran ...

[12345]

9. would china and russia jump to their aid?

hasn't china recently invested $200 billion in iran? do we really have the ability to attack another country? maybe just wishful thinking.

[Toots]

10. I do believe Russia and Iran just signed a mutual aid agreement this year

We will not be dealing with a isolated unarmed country like Iraq.

[BSDRebel]

12. i'm not so sure.

Didn't they invest in Iraq too?

The Chinese or Russia won't directly intervene in an AMerican-Iranian conflict. They know the U.S. would be strapped for soldiers and wouldn't be able to withstand a double-insurgency. They'd probably help by giving weapons to Iran clandestinely, turning on CNN, microwaving a bag of popcorn and enjoying the show.

Why risk their soldiers? They don't need to. Just give the Iranians "shovels" to dig the grave, and let the Americans fall right into it.

[TheVirginian]

15. American-Iranian conflict?

It sounds like the European Union is as interested, if not more interested, in the status of Iran's nuclear programs. Tehran is sabre-rattling the entire Western Hemisphere, not just the United States.

[BSDRebel]

11. this guy is not too smart

I agree with Iran that they have the right to develop nuclear energy in any way they wish. If they signed up to not make weapons under a treaty, they should abide by it. But, peaceful nuclear energy is their right as a nation.

Still, this new President rubs me the wrong way, and he's really kinda moronic to be stirring up enemies in the U.N. and elsewhere. He should take a lesson from the Chavez playbook. Criticize me? I'll offer to help your poor with gasoline.

[truth2power]

13. We drive countries to this...

Between Dear Leader's incoherent ramblings and Crashcart sneering about the US policy of preemptive nuking of everybody in the world who displeases us, why are we surprised when countries elect to defend themselves?

[bemildred]

14. This story is propaganda bullshit. nt