West Fears Nuclear Talks With Iran Are Doomed To Failure

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 5-25-2005 | Anton La Guardia

[blam]

West fears nuclear talks with Iran are doomed to failure

By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor
(Filed: 25/05/2005)

Make-or-break talks between Europe and Iran are doomed to failure and US military action will only delay, not halt, Teheran's suspected nuclear weapons programme, a leading think-tank predicted yesterday.

In a gloomy assessment, the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies said America had no simple military way of stopping Iran going nuclear. It said the West's best hope was to buy time through diplomacy.

IISS expressed alarm at the "erosion" of counter-proliferation measures, saying it could lead ultimately to terrorist groups such as al-Qa'eda obtaining atomic bombs.

Iran says it wants nuclear power to generate electricity, but the West fears that Teheran's attempt to master uranium enrichment will allow it to build atomic bombs within years.

Under a deal struck last November with Britain, France and Germany, Iran agreed to freeze "temporarily" its enrichment programme pending talks on improving economic, political and security relations.

The US supported the so-called EU-3 by promising not to block Iran's application to join the World Trade Organisation, and to sell spare parts for Teheran's ageing airliners.

But Iran is now threatening to renege on part of the deal, saying it is ready to resume production of uranium hexafluoride, the gas used for uranium enrichment, unless the Europeans make unspecified concessions.

The EU-3 have warned Teheran that "the consequences could only be negative for Iran" and that the Europeans would push to refer Iran to the United Nations for sanctions.

Senior European and Iranian officials met in Brussels yesterday to prepare for talks in Geneva today between European foreign ministers and Hassan Rohani, the Iranian national security chief, who is in overall charge of the nuclear programme.

With Iran due to hold presidential elections next month, both sides will be negotiating with an eye to the Iranian public.

At the launch of the IISS annual Strategic Survey, John Chipman, the institute's director, said: "The EU3-Iran talks seem headed for inevitable failure - whether before or after the Iranian elections."

However, he noted that the clerical regime had so far avoided confrontation in the UN Security Council for fear of losing domestic support.

Iran's hardline Guardian Council watchdog yesterday reversed its ban on two reformists excluded from June's presidential elections.

The reinstatement of former education minister Mostafa Moin and vice-president for sports Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh brings the number of approved candidates to eight in the poll on June 17.

[tahotdog]

It wouldn't take much in the way of US action to collapse that feral regime. The people of Iran would be on our side.

[JimSEA]

As long as the Mullahs have Iran, they will steadfastly go toward Nuclear weapons with the full intent of supplying those weapons to terrorist organizations and using the weapons against Israel. One nuke would be the end of the Israeli people. I prospect of that has the religious zealots of Iran literally salivating.

[Kenny Bunkport]

Two words: Bunker Buster.

[Paul_Denton]

It wouldn't take much in the way of US action to collapse that feral regime. The people of Iran would be on our side.

Exactly. It is time we supported and helped these people overthrow the mullahs.

[Williams]

This babble is just the kind of thing you expect to read before a cataclysmic disaster. They're going to give nuke bombs to terrorists who may kill millions of Americans and destroy at least our economy. But ... there's little we can do, we should buy time through diplomacy, yada yada yada.

IF we confront the reality of this there is plenty we can do. If the worst happens because we did nothing, those responsible will go down in history as colossal fools. But some fundamental flaw makes us hesitate rather than just insist on changing that government and destroying it's nuke capability.

We're in the region now with considerable forces. Use them.

[blam]

"We're in the region now with considerable forces. Use them."

IDF.

[caisson71]

Let Isreal take care of the Iranians. The US should give Israel whatever they need to get the job done and the Eurowimps can crawl under their rocks till it's all over. Western Europeans are so useless. Never send a boy to do a man's job!

[blam]

Think Tank Warns Of Al-Qa'eda Nuclear Weapons Fear

[BenLurkin]

I suspect that everybody is doomed.

But I take comfort in knowing that if it comes to nuclear combat our enemies from Syria to North Korea and all points in between are MORE DOOMED.

[blam]

"But I take comfort in knowing that if it comes to nuclear combat our enemies from Syria to North Korea and all points in between are MORE DOOMED."

Yup. I may yet live long enough to see us take a nuclear hit. Heaven help us all when it starts.