Iran Defiant to UN Resolution – Again

The Iranians continue their game of nuclear rope-a-dope with the United States and the international community all the while building up to the Mullahs desired end of acquiring the ultimate big stick - a nuclear weapon. President Obama had given Iran until mid-September to engage in meaningful talks about their nuclear program or face what Hillary Clinton called "crippling sanctions". After that deadline passed - and no sanctions - the world learned of the secret nuclear facility at Qom resulting in more international blustering, and a U.N. plan to send Iran's uranium to Russia for controlled enrichment. Iran quickly rejected that plan and has since stonewalled the United Nations watchdog organization, the IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency.

On Nov. 27, the IAEA wagged their frustrated and meaningless finger at Tehran by adopting yet another resolution aimed at limiting Iran's atomic quest. The Iranians were predictably outraged to learn that "the West doesn't want to understand Iran's peaceful message."

Iran doesn't take criticism very well, not even another milquetoast resolution from the U.N. According to Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also in charge of Iran's nuclear activities, "The action by 5+1 (U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany) at the IAEA prompted the (Iranian) government to approve a proposal to build 10 sites like that of Natanz." The text of the IAEA resolution speaks of the "serious concern" that the IAEA has regarding Iran's continued nuclear activities, and "urges" Iran to "fully comply" this time with requests for inspections. What is noticeably lacking is any reference to a deadline, and an "or else" statement of the action that the U.N. would support if noncompliance continues. From the White House came only a written statement: "If true, this would be yet another serious violation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple UN security council resolutions, and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself....time is running out for Iran to address the international community's growing concerns about its nuclear program." Notably no timeline or big-stick threat in that statement, either. The crippling sanctions from the August threat failed to materialize because China and Russia balked at the idea. The French, who suddenly under Nicolas Sarkozy's new leadership have emerged as the beacon of moral clarity and strength in the West, immediately called for "new economic sanctions against Iran." "It's clear for weeks that the extended hand of Barack Obama and the extended hand of the international community, in an approach of transparency ... are not working," said French Defense Minister Herve Morin. "Intelligence services of various countries, and notably French intelligence services, are giving us enough elements to be convinced that this (Iranian nuclear) program does not have civilian ends," he added. In September, Glyn Davies, the U.S. Ambassador to the IAEA, said that Iran now had what he called a "possible breakout capacity" if it decided to enrich its stockpile of uranium, converting it to bomb-grade material in a relatively short amount of time. Just last month U.N. intelligence reports surfaced corroborating Davies' warning that Iran now has "sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable" nuclear weapon within a limited time frame. Whether Iran can or will build an additional ten nuclear enrichment facilities is debatable, but their actions clearly explain their strategy. The mad men of Tehran will continue to ignore and reject toothless diplomatic efforts by the IAEA and the international community of nations as they race toward nuclear weapon capability. The Iranians understand that a nuke has unlimited value in both the diplomatic negotiating room and the world of radical Islamic jihad of which they are a primary sponsor. Further, once Iran has nuclear weapons a balance of power struggle complete with escalation of further nuclear proliferation in the Middle East is inevitable. Putting the clamps on Iran now will not be easy, but waiting until the nuclear genie is out of the bottle is a far worse reality to comprehend.