Latest Developments in Iran Standoff

The Associated Press. ^ | 1-18-06

[M. Espinola]

Wednesday's developments in diplomatic efforts on halting Iran's quest for nuclear technology:

• Europe, backed by the United States, rejected Iran's request for talks on its nuclear program, cranking up international pressure on Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment.

• Secretary of State

Condoleezza Rice said "there's not much to talk about" until Iran halts nuclear activity, saying the Islamic republic and its current leaders are not trusted with such technology. Rice met in Washington with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana.

• Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused the West of acting like the "lord of the world" in denying his country the peaceful use of the atom.

• In Vienna, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced that a special meeting of its 35-nation board of governors would be held Feb. 2. The United States, France, Britain and Germany had requested the meeting to consider referring Iran to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

• With Russia reluctant to refer Iran to the Council, French and Israeli officials went to Moscow to make their case. Iran's ambassador urged Moscow to resist what he called pressure from other countries.

• Solana said that at a meeting in London on Monday, Russia proposed having the Security Council host a debate on Iran's nuclear activities. The proposal would postpone referral to the Council for possible action against Iran at least until the agency's meeting in March.

• German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart. Egypt, which holds a seat on the IAEA board, has balked at throwing its support behind referring Iran to the Council. Iran sent a senior official to Cairo to meet with Amr Moussa of the Arab League.

• French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin held talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and said European nations are seeking the "greatest possible consensus to mark clearly the limit of what we can accept."

• President Bush called Merkel to discuss developments in Iran, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.

[M. Espinola]

And the beat goes on...

[LibFreeOrDie]

"...European nations are seeking the "greatest possible consensus to mark clearly the limit of what we can accept."

Words fail me...

[Flavius]

i know ive not seen that much bs since i got turned down for a date last time

[rjp2005]

I'm gonna buy a heavy bag with a European map on it and beat the crap out of it every time I read about more light- loafering on this issue.

[NormsRevenge]

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused the West of acting like the "lord of the world" in denying his country the peaceful use of the atom.

---

This just weeks after he said Israel must be destroyed, obliterated, wiped off the face of the earth.

Lordy, Lordy!

[M. Espinola]

Could it be that Ahmadinejad really escaped from the Iranian home for the jihadic disturbed? Then all the other nuts in the ruling dictatorship escaped with him.

[sheik yerbouty]

He escaped from an asylum there. It seems that he was suffering with premature jihadulation..

[M. Espinola]

"jihadulation"

LOL!

[M. Espinola]

Vivid shades of 1938, all over again ..

[M. Espinola]

Prior to the Nazi/Soviet carving up of Poland, Euro-states responding in three different fashion to the dictator threatening the false peace of Europe, some were in the final stages of formulating open collaboration, while others it was blatant, cowardly appeasement and one of little country was forced into surrendering, since the others did nothing to prevent the dictator's brute force.

In terms of Europe and the present Iranian threat. If their nonresponse to removing Saddam (due to the oil & payoff scandal) we can expect more statements, maybe a few half hearted sanctions, but when it comes to tangibly assisting in bringing down the Iran's Islamofascists, with (Western) E.U. continental troops, and attacking air power - forget-about-it...(unless Tehran's jihadist outcasts nuke a few cities first, and even at that those would require being in the heart of a major western E.U. nation before they lift a finger.)

I do believe the London shall join with Jerusalem and Washington, coupled with various types of support from some of our current allies in Iraq, and a few others serving in Afghanistan. Some of this will be made public while others will be hush hush due to numerous vulnerabilities.

[tomahawk]

In other words, nothing of importance happened.

ONLY force can work.

Anything else means NYC will be a smoldering crater in matter of years.

[hershey]

Straws in the wind department: GW called Merkel to 'discuss developments', and yesterday we announced we were withdrawing a number of diplomats from Europe and transferring them to other areas of the world where we have a more critical interest. Looks like we expect Germany to back up whatever Uncle Sam decides to do about Iran.

[A. Pole]

The solution is making Iranians our friends. And if they get the bomb, friends they will be like India and Pakistan are.

[R.W.Ratikal]

The U. S. does not buy oil from Iran, but much of the rest of the industrial world does. Iranian oil has an affect on the world's oil prices.

And that is what makes what happens in Iran important. If it were not for the mineral resources of Iran the country would be of interest only to National Geographic.

As it is the world cannot leave the stewardship of so valuable a commodity in the hands of goat-herding pagans.

[thackney]

As it is the world cannot leave the stewardship of so valuable a commodity in the hands of goat-herding pagans.

Do you believe we would do better? Think ANWR and OCS.

[M. Espinola]

"The U. S. does not buy oil from Iran, but much of the rest of the industrial world does. Iranian oil has an affect on the world's oil prices."

That is correct on the surface. U.S. oil firms should not being purchasing any oil or natural gas from Iran, but as we recall with Saddam, piping Iraqi OPEC oil through to Syria, then Syria would relabel the oil and sell it for a higher profit on the 'open spot market'.

"And that is what makes what happens in Iran important. If it were not for the mineral resources of Iran the country would be of interest only to National Geographic."

When Iran was under the Shah, in addition to crude oil, Iran was also the leader in global production and exportation of Pistachio nuts. Since the 7th century barbarians we allowed to gain control in early 1979, Iranian pistachio nut production & everything else declined, and now California's San Joaquin Valley is the producing the world's finest pistachio nut crop

"I wish I had some pistachio nuts" :)

"As it is the world cannot leave the stewardship of so valuable a commodity in the hands of goat-herding pagans."

True words spoken! Well those jihadist pagans have been financing their global jihad via Hamas, Islamic Jihad (hit Israel again today), Hizballah, terrorist in Iraq, Afghanistan & far beyond with the mega-profits off the sale of Iranian OPEC oil. No oil for the mullahs - no more mullahs in control of OPEC's 2nd largest exporter.

[M. Espinola]

"The solution is making Iranians our friends. And if they get the bomb, friends they will be like India and Pakistan are."

Once the current régime is toppled hopefully Iran will revert to a pro-Western nation as she was under the Shah.

[M. Espinola]

"In other words, nothing of importance happened. ONLY force can work. Anything else means NYC will be a smoldering crater in matter of years."

That's about the size of it.

Even though Osama's terrorist thugs are Sunni-Wabbisits and the Iranians are Shi'ite, we are the common enemy. For that reason I feel once the Iranian threat is forcefully addressed (or just before) Shi'ite proxies (sleeper cells in the west linked to Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hizballah and pro-Iranian terror outfits in Iraq & Afghanistan, coupled with al-Qaida cells will attempt acts of terror world-wide, if not crushed and so disrupted they will be unable to inflict any major loss of life in the West when the war begins against Iran & ally Syria.

[M. Espinola]

That is an encouraging development concerning the German government, which does participate in the NATO counter terrorist efforts in Afghanistan. Let's hope we can have a workable relationship with Germany's newly elected leader.

[Freebird Forever]

As it is the world cannot leave the stewardship of so valuable a commodity in the hands of goat-herding pagans.

The globalists' view of the situation in a nutshell.

I believe you've nailed the true reason why Americans are dying in Iraq as well.

Perhaps after a New World Order friendly government is installed in Iran, the globalists' will pronounce oil to be a "world utility" and have some UN agency oversee all production and distribution.