Defiant To The End: Iran Puts The World On Notice
They are not backing down. In fact, their rhetoric seems to have been ramped up quite a bit since the announcement by the United States to conduct one-on-one talks with Iran over its uranium enrichment program, and the suspicions that the Islamic Republic is working feverishly on a nuclear weapon. News 24 has the latest:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Tehran will continue its uranium enrichment programme, despite international calls to halt the sensitive project, reported state television on Saturday.
"The Iranian government and the people have decided, and without any doubt with dignity and glory we will pass this phase," said Ahmadinejad, after explaining Iran's fuel cycle programme to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo in Gambia.
Ahmadinejad is in Gambia to address the African Union summit.
Tehran is under mounting pressure to respond to an international offer that would defuse the nuclear standoff.
World powers gave Iran one more week on Thursday, to provide a "clear and substantive response" to an international proposal on suspending uranium enrichment.
Tehran has rejected the deadline.
Iran will reply to proposal in August.
Foreign ministers of the G8 group of leading nations said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's head nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, would meet to discuss the plan on Wednesday.
"We expect to hear a clear and substantive Iranian response to these proposals at the planned meeting," said the ministers in a statement from Moscow, where they were preparing a July 15 to 17 summit in Saint Petersburg.
But speaking at the United Nations in New York, Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran would not respond before late August.
Solana handed Iran the proposal from the five permanent UN security council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - as well as Germany, on June 6.
The proposal promises incentives and multilateral talks if Iran agrees to temporarily halt uranium enrichment.
Diplomats said Iran was asked to reply by June 29. Last week, Ahmadinejad said Tehran would take until August 22 to answer.
Iran said its nuclear programme was to generate electricity and that uranium enrichment was needed to provide the fuel.
The EU and the US suspect Iran of concealing a military weapons project.
From the Left's point-of-view, they can accept this sort of excuse and explanation by President Ahmadinejad. From our side of the aisle, we cannot trust the man as far as we can throw him. Iran has long been an enemy of the United states; nearly thirty years of animosity exists between our two nations. Facing mounting pressure from the world community, and the toothless, trustless United Nations, Iran has doubled down.
They are hoping, and justifiably so, that the world will not take more direct and drastic steps to stop their program. Israel, with its hands full of the Palestinians, is in no position to pull off an Osirik-like strike on Iran to remove at least part of their facilities. Logistically speaking, it is a veritable suicide mission for Israeli pilots without some sort of outside assistance, like mid-air refueling planes from the United States.
Some say we are simply strolling down the path towards a confrontation with Iran. We disagree. With things the way they are around the world right now--including the constant saber-rattling from North Korean nut-job Kim Jong-Il--Iran is hoping they can continue virtually unnoticed or unchallenged. To date, they are correct to assert that the West is in a conundrum. They really do not know how to address Iran, especially after Iran's boast that oil will be their primary weapon if situations escalate with the West.
Despite what the enviro-weenies carry on about, the world runs on oil. From plastics that hold our ketchup and drinking water to the oil that is refined into petroleum to deliver those supplies to our stores, the world needs oil to survive right now. And Iran exports a great deal to western nations. Add to the mix that they are still negotiating with Russia and China for oil rights, and you have yourselves a recipe that should worry western leaders. Should Iran cut off the West, it would be years before they could recover. And yes, I am aware that we do get our oil from other places, like Venezuela. But we should be mindful that Hugo Chavez does have a standing treaty with Iran. In a symbol of solidarity, they, too, could turn off the taps.
The United States imports approximately 40% of its oil from Venezuela. Turning the taps off the United States would prove to be devastating. The Left in Congress fights tooth-and-nail everytime the subject of ANWR is broached. And I seriously doubt that if Iran and Venezuela did make such moves that they would change their minds on opening up the expansive refuge for one little, tiny portion of land to save us from a return to rationed gas. Or worse, gas prices that would likely skyrocket over $4 a gallon.
So, Iran is continuing down their path with little to fear from the West. While they sit abroad, befuddled by the gambit that President Ahmadinejad is playing, they continue to enrich uranium. And they do so under the gaze of a religious madman who believes he will usher in the final holy war the world will witness. If we are not careful, he might be right. If we are not vigilant, he will be right.
Marcie
They are not backing down. In fact, their rhetoric seems to have been ramped up quite a bit since the announcement by the United States to conduct one-on-one talks with Iran over its uranium enrichment program, and the suspicions that the Islamic Republic is working feverishly on a nuclear weapon. News 24 has the latest:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Tehran will continue its uranium enrichment programme, despite international calls to halt the sensitive project, reported state television on Saturday.
"The Iranian government and the people have decided, and without any doubt with dignity and glory we will pass this phase," said Ahmadinejad, after explaining Iran's fuel cycle programme to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo in Gambia.
Ahmadinejad is in Gambia to address the African Union summit.
Tehran is under mounting pressure to respond to an international offer that would defuse the nuclear standoff.
World powers gave Iran one more week on Thursday, to provide a "clear and substantive response" to an international proposal on suspending uranium enrichment.
Tehran has rejected the deadline.
Iran will reply to proposal in August.
Foreign ministers of the G8 group of leading nations said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's head nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, would meet to discuss the plan on Wednesday.
"We expect to hear a clear and substantive Iranian response to these proposals at the planned meeting," said the ministers in a statement from Moscow, where they were preparing a July 15 to 17 summit in Saint Petersburg.
But speaking at the United Nations in New York, Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran would not respond before late August.
Solana handed Iran the proposal from the five permanent UN security council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - as well as Germany, on June 6.
The proposal promises incentives and multilateral talks if Iran agrees to temporarily halt uranium enrichment.
Diplomats said Iran was asked to reply by June 29. Last week, Ahmadinejad said Tehran would take until August 22 to answer.
Iran said its nuclear programme was to generate electricity and that uranium enrichment was needed to provide the fuel.
The EU and the US suspect Iran of concealing a military weapons project.
From the Left's point-of-view, they can accept this sort of excuse and explanation by President Ahmadinejad. From our side of the aisle, we cannot trust the man as far as we can throw him. Iran has long been an enemy of the United states; nearly thirty years of animosity exists between our two nations. Facing mounting pressure from the world community, and the toothless, trustless United Nations, Iran has doubled down.
They are hoping, and justifiably so, that the world will not take more direct and drastic steps to stop their program. Israel, with its hands full of the Palestinians, is in no position to pull off an Osirik-like strike on Iran to remove at least part of their facilities. Logistically speaking, it is a veritable suicide mission for Israeli pilots without some sort of outside assistance, like mid-air refueling planes from the United States.
Some say we are simply strolling down the path towards a confrontation with Iran. We disagree. With things the way they are around the world right now--including the constant saber-rattling from North Korean nut-job Kim Jong-Il--Iran is hoping they can continue virtually unnoticed or unchallenged. To date, they are correct to assert that the West is in a conundrum. They really do not know how to address Iran, especially after Iran's boast that oil will be their primary weapon if situations escalate with the West.
Despite what the enviro-weenies carry on about, the world runs on oil. From plastics that hold our ketchup and drinking water to the oil that is refined into petroleum to deliver those supplies to our stores, the world needs oil to survive right now. And Iran exports a great deal to western nations. Add to the mix that they are still negotiating with Russia and China for oil rights, and you have yourselves a recipe that should worry western leaders. Should Iran cut off the West, it would be years before they could recover. And yes, I am aware that we do get our oil from other places, like Venezuela. But we should be mindful that Hugo Chavez does have a standing treaty with Iran. In a symbol of solidarity, they, too, could turn off the taps.
The United States imports approximately 40% of its oil from Venezuela. Turning the taps off the United States would prove to be devastating. The Left in Congress fights tooth-and-nail everytime the subject of ANWR is broached. And I seriously doubt that if Iran and Venezuela did make such moves that they would change their minds on opening up the expansive refuge for one little, tiny portion of land to save us from a return to rationed gas. Or worse, gas prices that would likely skyrocket over $4 a gallon.
So, Iran is continuing down their path with little to fear from the West. While they sit abroad, befuddled by the gambit that President Ahmadinejad is playing, they continue to enrich uranium. And they do so under the gaze of a religious madman who believes he will usher in the final holy war the world will witness. If we are not careful, he might be right. If we are not vigilant, he will be right.
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 12:33 PM
1 Comments:
I agree with what you post about Iran. They are working each day towards a nuclear weapon while the world does nothing. It's interesting that Hugo Chavez, Venezuela marxist president, will also be at the African Summit. I have no reservations that they would cut us off from their oil should be take action against Iran. And either one would use nuclear weapon on us. Rawriter
Post a Comment
<< Home