Posted on 08/10/2004 4:56:49 PM PDT by Clive
Iran has issued an extraordinary list of demands to Britain and other European countries, telling them to provide advanced nuclear technology, conventional weapons and a security guarantee against nuclear attack by Israel.
Teheran's request, said by British officials to have "gone down very badly", sharply raises the stakes in the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme, which Britain and America believe is aimed at making an atomic bomb.
Iran's move came during crisis talks in Paris this month with senior diplomats from Britain, France and Germany.
The "EU-3" were trying to convince Iranian officials to honour an earlier deal to suspend its controversial uranium enrichment programme, which is ostensibly designed to make fuel for nuclear power stations but could also be used to make fissile material for nuclear bombs. Iranian officials refused point-blank to comply, saying they had every right under international law to pursue "peaceful" nuclear technology.
They then stunned the Europeans by presenting a letter setting out their own demands.
Iran said the EU-3 should support Iran's quest for "advanced (nuclear) technology, including those with dual use" - a reference to equipment that has both civilian and military applications.
The Europeans should "remove impediments" preventing Iran from having such technology, and stick to these commitments even if faced with "legal (or) political . . . limitations", an allusion to American pressure or even future international sanctions against Iran.
More astonishingly, Iran said the EU-3 should agree to meet Iran's requirements for conventional weapons and even "provide security assurances" against a nuclear attack on Iran.
This is a reference to Israel's nuclear arsenal, believed to include some 200 warheads and long-range missiles to deliver them.
The EU-3 are still debating over how to respond, but British officials said the Iranian letter was "extremely surprising, given the delicate state of process". Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, will have to decide whether to adopt a more confrontational policy.
America is demanding that the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which meets next month, refer Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. US officials are also openly discussing "covert" means of disrupting the Iranian nuclear programme, while Israel has openly threatened military action.
However, there were signs yesterday that the next report of Mohammed ElBaradei, the IAEA director general, may give Iran a boost.
A key mystery for the past year has been the source of traces of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) found by IAEA inspectors at several sites in Iran. Teheran claimed this was "contamination" of equipment imported from other countries, rather than proof that it had secretly made HEU.
According to diplomats, inspectors have confirmed that in at least one case the contamination did come from Pakistan, as Iran claimed.
Other contamination issues remain unresolved, and may never be settled. Moreover there are several other open questions.
North Korea has actual, working nuclear bombs, and the missiles to launch them. They could hit Japan or South Korea with no warning, and have an outside chance of hitting U.S. soil if they tried. (Only Alaska, Hawaii, or maybe one city on the Pacific Ocean like Seattla or L.A. if they were really lucky, but that's enough.)
Iran has nothing.
Actually, I look at this as they are having problems building their nuclear weapons and need help urgently.
Having the typical fecal matter brain material that makes up the non linear thinking CNS of the Islamofascists, they decided to "force" the EU to help them.
If the EU (France/Germany/Russia don't help Iran, Iran will suffer a regime change like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq. Then, the Eurotrash will lose a lot money as the mass Murdering Mullahs will either be dead or have no power to order war toys like nuclear weapon capability.
The Euro Trash's favorite Uncle, Uncle Soddomite hasn't ordered much from the Eurotrash nations in the past year has he?
So this is an urgent plea from the mass murdering mullahs to the Euro weanies to save the butts of the mullahs by providing with the know how to make nuclear weapons.
Pre-fabricated and air-mail delivered.
A completely irrelevant sidenote to the conversation, but I had to let you know you chose a great user name! Welcome to FR!
Interesting Nova program on right now. Hi tech US weaponry, when it works, transformation....smaller forces, rapid deployment, 19 days to reach Baghdad. Logistics problems, more liberal yada yada, many Iraqi casualties, picture of child in hospital. Attempt to kill Saddam during first days, outdated information, so civilians killed. Sorry, that's what war is about. Breaking things and killing the enemy. PBS and the rest of the liberal idiots think WAR IS INSANE. All we need to to sit down and talk things over. We have the NYTimes and the rest of the usual liberal suspects bad mouthing the military. The US didn't commit enough troops. We're hard pressed to contain insurgent attacks. Well, not if we take the gloves off. They understand force, a hit upside the head. They don't understand PC baloney.
There's no need for nuclear weapons in this theatre.
Welcome aboard.
Who is Iran's sponsor?
Russia?
China?
Who would decide to stand or fall with the fried in Iran?
France?
I wish you were right. But liberal-demokkkRAT PC-crap
has suddenly castrated us in Najaf, Mosul, Baghdad etc, and we are being neutered in the WOT.
If you are correct, I'll buy beer and pizza for all on FR.com, and for you, for life.
IMO, Israel will do the deed, simply because *they live there, and have to protect their homeland*. We don't.
Agreed. These guys are nuttier than TaRAYza!
True, we'll cover Israel's bet here. But if we hesitate, Israel won't.
"Thank you Jimmy Carter for replacing a US Ally, (the Shah) with a "religious theocracy"."
We can't thank Jimmy Carter for this entire cycle of Islamofascist terrorism. He allowed the mass murdering mullahs, the puppets of the USSR and Saudi Arabia to overthrow the Shah, and he did nothing besides make our military and intel weaker each day while he was our president.
Russia is in business with Iran, that's one thing. China is sponsoring Iran, that's a diferent matter. China may decide to move on Taiwan if the balloons go up in Iran.
Indeed.
That's exactly what I was thinking -- or they already have them.
It almost sounds as if they're trying to provoke an excuse to use them.
any verification of how many carrier groups in the Taiwan theatre?
anybody?
I could just picture the response:
Dear Sirs,
But of course. We will gladly comply. However, logistics would require us to spend years transferring such knowledge to you, so we have come up with a better plan.
We will gladly supply you with first hand knowledge one bomb at a time, starting in about 15 minutes.
Have a nice day.
What the hell, Give Iran the nuclear technology...pointy end first.
"Make sure to save copies of where John Kerry declared that his plan for dealing with Iran was to give them "nuclear fuel" so long as they promised not to use it to make bombs. In the Kerry campaign's typically Orwellian way, I imagine that it will be "dissappeared" soon."
Do you have any links to al Kerri's statement on this. If so please post the links and his complete statement asap here on Free Republic or they will disappear.
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