| Persian Nukes |
15 September 2003
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IAEA Sets Iran Deadline
The International Atomic Energy Agency set an October 31 deadline for Iran to prove it had no nuclear weapons program. Iran promptly stormed out of the closed-door meeting in a fine case of pique and brinkmanship. Iran, of course, has no more need of a peaceful nuke program than any other country sitting on a lake of oil. The question is, what to do about Teheran's bomb?
From neighboring Iraq, it wouldn't be all that hard to send in troops and topple the regime. However, there is no reason to believe that the Iranians would be as cooperative as the Iraqis have been thus far. Moreover, the regime isn't really the problem when it comes to the The Bomb; it's the scientists and engineers who have the knowledge to create one. They'll work for any regime that runs the country, and
shooting them isn't feasible as a policy.
Ignoring the situation, though, has ceased to be an option. Iran remains a revisionist state in a sensitive part of the world. Give the government their the ability to vaporize a city, and in moments of extreme tension, they could well choose to do that.
And so the approach, by default, is to negotiate. As with North Korea, it is not the emotionally gratifying resolution to the problem. But unlike North Korea, there is no big power nearby that can bring pressure to bear on Iran the way China can deal with Pyongyang. There is, therefore, little choice but to engage in a broad discussion of many issues.
On the plus side, properly managed, these talks could break the ice between the US and Iran. On the minus side, that may not be within the abilities of the current administration. And nothing guarantees that Iran won't get The Bomb.
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