White House Warns Iran About Referral

[sabra]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/09/26/national/w133537D24.DTL&type=printable

White House Warns Iran About Referral

Armed with fresh international backing for bringing Iran before the U.N. Security Council for its nuclear activities, the White House on Monday warned Tehran it has just one chance left to avoid referral for possible economic sanctions.


"The world is saying to Iran that it is time to come clean. The world has put Iran on notice," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "It is unacceptable the way Iran is behaving."


On Saturday, a majority on the 35-nation board of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency approved a resolution that cited Iran for "a long history of concealment and deception" in a nuclear program Tehran insists is only for the peaceful production of nuclear power. The International Atomic Energy Agency resolution found Tehran at odds with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that Iran signed.


...

Iran needs to "heed the signal" the resolution sent, McCormack said. "And that is, `Get back to the negotiating table.'" McClellan said, "There is a growing majority of nations that recognize Iran's noncompliance must be addressed."

[sarcasmo]

1. Will * pay Israel to attack Iran first? IMHO that is the way WWIII

is going to start. The funny thing he would be paying them with Chinese money.

[ClintonTyree]

5. He won't have to pay them.........

they'd be more than happy to do it for free under the aegis of the United States.

[ClintonTyree]

2. What country is it again that has been the only one to use......

nuclear weapons on another country? :think: THE UNITED STATES, that's right! :eyes:

[MidwestTransplant]

4. You think it would be ok for Iran to have Nukes?

[Bridget Burke]

7. It's not really up to us.

There are many things I think are "not OK" but nobody made me Empress of the World.

[ClintonTyree]

9. With inspections that make sure they're only being used........

to generate energy, yes. I think any country has that right. Do you think it's alright for Israel to have nuclear weapons? :shrug:

[northzax]

21. no, actually, I don't

I don't think it's ok for any country to have nuclear weapons. the fact is that some do, the genie is out of the bottle on that. And more continue to develop them. It is just as wrong for the United States to have nuclear weapons as it is for Israel to have them. But we and they do.

Did you notice the US just decomissioned the last MX Peacekeeper? Via treaties, there are no more first strike heavy, land based, multi warhead ICBMs in the world. that's good news.

nuclear weapons, like chemical and biological weapons, have an out-sized casualty potential, and it is in the best interests of all states, including those involved in current or prior development, use or dissemination of such weapons, that no more states acquire them. The more of them there are, in more hands, the more likely that they are to be used, either by the state in question or a rouge element that gains access to them.

as it stands today, no state is likely to use nuclear weapons first, it is truely a weapon of last resort, to be utilised only when you are at the point of destruction, otherwise the international, and domestic, opprobrium would be immense and uncontrollable, you are an instant pariah, no matter who you are. The states with nukes (exception Pakistan) are stable and currently unlikely to be in that backs to the wall situation. the more people who have them, the higher the likelihood than an unstable or collapsing state will obtain them, or one. and that increases the likelihood that they will be used in a first strike capacity.

[tainowarrior]

10. yes.

it's not our business to dictate what countries can or cannot have weapons.

Look at it from Iranians eyes. Iranians look at the U.S, who overthrow their Mohammed Mossadegh and imposed the Shah, have to live with that country having thousands of nukes.

If they can live with the knowledge that we have nukes, we can live with the knowledge that they may have a few for self-defense.

[saskatoon]

20. If they can live with the knowledge that we have nukes, we can live with t

That makes very good sense to me. Thank you.

[CrispyQ]

3. When is the world going to put the US on notice for

it's unacceptable behavior & proliferation of nukes?

[JuniperLea]

11. I find it hard to believe it hasn't happened yet!

I'm tired of the US being "the bully on the beach"!!!

Have we learned nothing? What next? A bunch of fact finders who go in to look at the situation then won't be allowed to finish the job? Then people loosing their jobs or their security cover because they want to tell the truth? I swear!

Bush won't be happy until he is the WWIII president!

Fucking bastard...

[kenny blankenship]

6. This white house is in no position to warn anybody about anything

it is collapsed in on its own incompetence, bankrupted by its own recklessness, tied up in a doomed war on Iraq with a military drained of its strength and spirit, and has been beached on the hard rock of nature (artificially warmed and heightened).

And the people no longer believe in their lies.

[tainowarrior]

8. armed with WHAT fresh international backing

China and Russia are against it.

The issue is over. THe Americans have nothing, and the Iranians know this.

[Tempest]

14. Bush's international backing

Includes Blair and a bunch of non-voting countries.

Much like his "coalition of the willing", Bush is backed by nobodies.

[tainowarrior]

18. and what good is that?

The Bush-Blair coalition is deprived of soldiers, resources, and public support for more war. It can't do anything.

Bush's bluffs are apparent to Iran. It's a toothless tiger.

[54anickel]

15. I believe that's why there was no immediate referral, but rather a

resolution to revisit it again sometime in the future. China and Russia have threatened to veto - that would make dumbass look pretty impotent to the world (not that he already doesn't).

Condi's been pushing the EU to play bad cop on this one - if it fails - it's their failure and not the US.

[yy4me]

12. Whats good for the goose...

I am enraged that this country has the gaul to say to another country that their(that country) behavior is unacceptable. Ours is
unacceptable! I believe the posture of the Bush administration is to taunt. Remember as a kid, nanananana, made you look......
The older I get, the more I don't get. This is disgusting. And who told scotty that the "world" has given bush's group the right to speak for them! The arrogance!!! I believe the UN can speak on its own behalf.

[Tempest]

13. Bush has made the U.S. into a paper tiger

Russia and China have already said they will veto any Security Council resolutions which include sanctions.

[BlueJac]

16. Bush thinks he is FDR,,.... now wants to be Truman...........

:nuke:

[reprobate]

22. How can Caligula become Truman?

[donkeyotay]

17. The way this administration is behaving is "unacceptable"

Instead of playing bully to the world and spoiling for more war, how about worrying about Iraq, the policy of open-ended warfare, secrecy and erosion of rights, governance by defense industry contractors, corruption running amok, offshore banking, the health care crisis and related bankruptcy problem, stagnant wages and increasing gap between rich and poor, global warming, piss-poor Homeland Security...

We desperately need a government that works for the people of this country.

[ninkasi]

19. You are so right, donkeyotay

When you say "We desperately need a government that works for the people of this country." What we have now is a government which we pay for, but which works for corporate interests. We need politicians who put people first, and who are not beholden to big business for their donations to the politician's re-election campaigns.

The government we have now is not even remotely like the one our Founding Fathers envisioned. Jefferson would be appalled at the way corporations, and the religious right have a stranglehold on politicians, while we pay their salaries.

[Gyre]

23. "Iran to Scotty...Blow me!"

I'm sure that's the "between the lines" version of their response.

[IndianaGreen]

24. Iran will get nukes soon!

And nuke the shit out of Bush if he tries to do to Iran what he did to Iraq.

How about a tactical nuke up Bush's rectum for starters?

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.