It's pretty obvious that the Iranians are trying to drag feet on their nuclear program. They can see that China and Russia are starting to wobble in their support over their nuclear ambitions. Now, here's a bit of rhetoric I can stand behind:
“Iran is clearly trying to take the attention from its continued development of bomb-making capabilities, and I don’t think the Security Council will be distracted,” said Gregory L. Schulte, the chief U.S. delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency. “We are continuing to move forward with other members of the Security Council on a third resolution.”
It's coming down to the wire on sanctions against Iran. They know that their gasoline supplies are tight and any sanctions could cause a revolt in the populace. Most Iranians are under 30 years old and they don't really like the Mullahs, Clerics, or any other secular leaders. They enjoy western music, movies, and products, so they certainly aren't going to want to go from that to burqa's and full beards.
But wait! There's more!
“If Iran’s leaders truly want the world’s trust, they would ... start to cooperate fully and unconditionally and suspend activities of international concerns,” said Schulte, alluding to council demands that Tehran freeze its uranium enrichment program and stop construction of a plutonium-producing reactor.
And he's exactly right. If Iran really was only after nuclear power, they would have a real coup on their hands to allow the IAEA to come in and take a poke around and say "See! I told you the American's were lying!". That would ripple throughout the Middle East as America would be seen as a provocateur and a liar. However, because they don't, pretty much the entire Middle East is worried about Iran and it's growing influence in the region. There are active campaigns to undermine the Iranian government and economy.
With Iran's refusal to do anything of importance with the IAEA, their chances of coming out of this unscathed is pretty slim.
Travis
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