Uponnothing.co.uk

Iran seem to be raising the stakes in the war of words regarding their pursuit of nuclear power:

“The Americans are trying to undermine the Islamic Republic of Iran and transform its identity by using political and cultural instruments and their puppets, but they will suffer their biggest defeat from the voluntary Basij youth,’’ Khamenei said without elaborating. He did not elaborate in his address made during a visit to a Tehran base of the Basij, a corps of civilian vigilantes who enforce the Iranian regime’s Islamic strictures.

Bush issued his veiled threat after Iran resumed uranium conversion at its nuclear facility in Isfahan, a move that also prompted a warning from the UN nuclear watchdog agency. Bush has called for continued diplomacy to halt Iran’s nuclear programme, with resort to UN Security Council sanctions only if diplomatic efforts fail.

This response serves to add to the already tense situation, with diplomats uncertain as how to proceed following the revelations that traces of bomb-grade uranium found two years ago in Iran came from contaminated Pakistani equipment and are not evidence of a clandestine nuclear weapons program. Iran has stated that they still wish to continue negotiations with the European three, but the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad still maintains that:

“Our policy is transparent and clear: we are after the nation’s lawful rights within the framework of international law and we will defend these rights seriously”

After Europe initially called off talks after Iran began enrichment activities, but now French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy has stated:

“We are suspending the negotiations,” he told France Inter radio. “But at the same time, we think it is still possible to talk to them … There is no reason to close the door on Iran.”

So hope remains that talked can be reopened, but it still seems unlikely that Europe would accept the legal right of Iran to pursue the nuclear activity that they wish, whilst America remain isolated from discussions, but clear that they would be prepared to assess all options available if the talks do break down. With Iran holding firm, and Europe and America equally unbending in their opposition to the Iranian stance, even if talks are reopened their failure seems simply a matter of time.