All Relevant Nations ... Refrain ...

"Moscow has with regret and worry received the news of the start of work on enriching uranium at the Iranian plant."

A sober, sombre, meaning-laden quote from Russia's foreign ministry through the ITAR-TASS news agency. Of course it was Moscow, to begin with, that was so exceedingly supportive to and helpful with Tehran's nuclear plans. It was Russian scientific nuclear know-how and expertise with the loan of nuclear scientists that assisted Iran in building its nuclear installations.

And it has been Moscow that has been supportive of Iran's 'right' to become a nuclear-owning nation, when the rest of the global community was viewing Iran's intentions with a high degree of unease. All indications pointing to Iran's intention to produce nuclear weapons. With a view to extracting thereby 'respect' and fear from its neighbours.

Now that Iran has managed with the help of Pakistan, North Korea and Russia to forge ahead with its program the world is on high alert.

And suddenly, with the evidence from the International Atomic Energy Agency affirming that Iran has succeeding in enriching uranium toward the eventual production of nuclear weapons in defiance of the United Nations and the international community denouncing it for working outside IAEA guidelines, Russia is expressing unease, finally.

Not so, China. Which derives a large proportion of its energy - 22% - from Iranian sources. And which has been an avuncular support to North Korea and its nuclear ambitions. And Iran has other great good friends all of whom appear to support its move toward the close-on threat of producing nuclear warheads. Cuba, for example, and Nicaragua, Venezuela and Ecuador.

In defiance of the U.S. and European Union-led sanctions against Iran, crippling its oil sales and banking sectors, Iran has begun to lash out at its detractors. Its oil sales account for 60% of its revenues. Petroleum exports earned the country roughly $100-billion last year. Sanctions have made its payments difficult to receive.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have now announced the launch of new navy manoeuvres in the Strait of Hormuz. And the Strait of Hormuz, they threaten, will be closed off to international traffic, should sanctions continue to bite into Iran's economy. To teach the international community that Iran in its turn, is capable of biting their economies.

"We urge all relevant nations to ... refrain from taking actions that will intensify the situation and make common efforts to prevent war. Once war starts in this region, not only will the relevant nations be affected and attacked, it would also ... bring disaster to a world economy deep in crisis. Chen Xiaodong, China

"Israel, which has already warned Iran that it could take military action against installations, is very, very worried by the Fordow nuclear enriching facility. We are moving into dangerous territory." Mark Hibbs, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace