Appeasement Brings No Results?

Unsurprisingly, Iran behaved as though the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany were somehow indebted to Tehran for deigning to meet with the P5+1.  Iranian diplomats are as capable, even more so, as any of beaming sweetness and light and reasonableness.  In so doing, hoping to disarm any who might wish to think of them as behaving in an obdurate manner when evidence before them suggests that Iran is a country they can do business with.

Trouble is, sanctions mean Iran is a country than none wish to do business with.  And that is the obstacle that Iran's nuclear negotiator was tasked with rising above.  (It being imperative that the country's oil be shipped out to paying customers.)  In the past such situations led interlocutors to trust what Iran said and to lower their suspicion levels, despite that time and again the Republic chose in the final analysis to withdraw from honouring its promises. 

Which turned out to be stalling tactics, surprise!

And this latest meeting where a package of proposals from the P5+1 was unveiled for Iran's inspection, they were held by a very particular Iran, behaving as though it holds all the winning poker cards, as 'unbalanced'.  It had its own agenda of a proposal of five steps that should be accepted by China, France, Britain, Russia, the United States and Germany.  Principal among them that sanctions be lifted.

And, furthermore, once lifted, not to be reinstalled should matters not proceed as reasonably anticipated.

For their part, the P5+1 recommended to Tehran that they would breathe easier if Iran surrendered its 20%-enriched uranium to a third-party country for safe-keeping.  In exchange, uranium enriched sufficiently for the production of medical radioisotopes would be released to Iran.  And as a further concession, badly-needed aircraft parts would be allowed to be imported, and possibly a ban on insurance on ships carrying Iranian oil lifted.

Tehran was rather miffed at the lack of generosity of the offerings.  And it would never resign its sovereignty to the extent of surrendering its stockpiles of enriched uranium.  "A possible swap of uranium enriched by Iran for fuel isn't very interesting for us because we are already producing our own fuel", one official complained.

It is entirely possible that Iran feels supremely confident in no small part as a result of who is represented by the U.S. administration; a president who once famously offered to extended an open hand, should Tehran see fit to respond by an "unclenched fist".  Tehran spurned that offer rather belligerently and haughtily, although it is more polite now, now that it is on the proverbial ropes.

And, interestingly, enough the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency is preparing to issue yet another report on Iran, releasing fascinating new findings.  Western diplomats have quietly revealed that the IAEA has reached the conclusion that Iran, starting back in February, installed 350 new centrifuges at the Fordow underground facility.

That would be the same Fordow facility that the chief of the IAEA urged Iran to agree to destroy, to settle the insecurity of the West with respect to Iran's future plans on acquiring nuclear weaponry.  After that additional increase in the installation of new centrifuges it appears highly unlikely that this recommendation would be given anything but short shrift.

The IAEA report, to be issued on Friday, will no doubt not be required to suggest expansively that this further installation of centrifuges in the underground mountainside stronghold - immune to any possible air attacks - has the purpose of increasing the Islamic Republic of Iran's uranium enrichment potential and output.




Tsk, tsk.