Iran, who to blame and what action to take?

While we all try to figure out what to do about Iran, the blame game begins.  Who is at fault for allowing Iran to get this far with their nuclear program?  Tsotne Bakuria in The Washington Times puts the blame on Russia.  Others blame Bill Clinton.  Blame really doesn't do us any good now, it is ACTION that is needed:

After all, it was the former Soviet Union who is responsible. Today, Russia's reluctance to seriously condemn Iran or threaten the country with economic sanctions is a critical mistake, and one that will surely end in catastrophe.

Russia has been the major supplier of nuclear power technology for Iran. In a halfhearted attempt to appease the West, Russia offered Iran a deal: develop your uranium at our own Russian factories and we'll send it to you when it's done. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad must have had a belly laugh. Russia is indeed acting like Rick in "Casablanca"; shocked, shocked that uranium enrichment is going on in Iran. What did they think Iran needed it for? Electricity?  source

Indeed, Russia is Iran's major trading partner, along with China, so they are obviously hesitant to punish Iran.  Some interesting facts about Russia's partnership with Iran:

In January 1995, Iran signed a contract with Russia's Atomic Energy Ministry to finish the reactors at Busher, Iran. These reactors could produce up to 180 kilograms yearly of plutonium in their spent fuel. The agreement calls for Russia to complete the first reactor in Busher by December 2006. The contract includes providing a 30/50 megawatt thermal light-water research reactor, 2,000 tons of natural uranium and training about 15 Iranian nuclear scientists yearly.  According to the IAEA, Russia is "completing construction of nuclear reactors in Busher and hoping to build many more reactors."

The Russian newspaper Pravda (April 5) declared, "Iran unveils secret super weapons," designed by former Soviet scientists.

According to Professor Rensselaer Lee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Iran has employed 2,200 Russian scientists since 1999, most of them with expertise in weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Also, he estimated Russia nets upward of $800 million a year from Iran for military cooperation. In Iran, the tanks are Soviet-made T-72s. The military planes are also Russian-made MiG-29s and Su-24s.  source

The most important point of all, is that all this Russian brain power, physical power, and military might may be used by Islamic terrorists against the United States and our friends:

Alexei Arbatov, deputy chairman of the Duma Defense Committee, recently warned "technology transferred to Iran will have backfired."

He predicts that within 10 to 15 years, Russian technology could be used by radical Islamic terrorists. Even against Russia. source

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is taking all the credit (or blame, depending on what country you live in), saying to those upset by that stance, “Be angry at us and die of this anger.”  However,  ex-president Hashemi Rafsanjani wanted some of the credit, reminding Iranians the program was begun under his presidency.

I like Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper more every day.  His comments this week about Iran are right-on:

Canada vigorously condemns the recent call by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the annihilation of Israel, and his continued denial of the holocaust. The Canadian people reject the hatred that underlies such appalling and irresponsible statements.

"It is particularly disturbing that these remarks are being made at a time when Iran is in serious violation of its international obligations with respect to nuclear non-proliferation.

"Canada continues to believe that these outrageous comments by the President of Iran do not reflect the traditions and values of the Iranian people." source

Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres says, "Ahmadinejad represents Satan.  ...  History knew how to denounce madmen and those who wave their sword, and all those who acted this way ended their careers accordingly."  source  Peres also said, "Ahmadinejad's statements remind those of Saddam and he will end up the same way as Hussein has."  source  Peres has faith that the United Nations will not allow one member state to threaten another member state and get away with it.
I don't share his faith in the UN.

Chad at In the Bullpen has a great post on Mark Steyn's latest article, in which Steyn says:

Bill Clinton, the Sultan of Swing, gave an interesting speech last week, apropos foreign policy: “Anytime somebody said in my presidency, ‘If you don’t do this, people will think you’re weak,’ I always asked the same question for eight years: ‘Can we kill ‘em tomorrow?’ If we can kill ‘em tomorrow, then we’re not weak, and we might be wise enough to try to find an alternative way.”

The trouble was tomorrow never came — from the first World Trade Center attack to Khobar Towers to the African Embassy bombings to the USS Cole. Manana is not a policy. The Iranians are merely the latest to understand that.  source

Chad says, "And thus we have a clear example of two different ways of thinking; reacting to strikes and acting before those strikes can materialize. I would have thought the former way of thinking was pre-9/11."

Sounds like Steyn thinks the Iranian situation is Clinton's fault.  Yes, I to believe his inaction led to our present situation, starting with September 11, 2001.  Had he taken care of Osama when he had the chance, things might have been different.  I also agree with Chad.  Waiting for the US to be attacked before we do anything is most definately pre-9/11.

Today Reuters reported that,  "The United States should hold direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program and go slow on pressing for sanctions, contrary to Bush administration strategy, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen.   Richard Lugar said on Sunday.  Right, all Iran needs is for more time to work on their nuclear weapons, Sen. Lugar. 

Let's look at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's latest comments as of Sunday, April 16, 2006:

Refering the the US, he "said the enemies of Islam, the sham advocates of democracy and human rights have suffered heavy blow in the latest Palestinians election."  "He  called the new Palestinian government as the only legitimate body formed in Palestine in recent years and said the Zionist occupiers are now experiencing defeat..." and ...

Victory of the Palestinian nation as well as other oppressed nations of the world would be materialized through resistance and their standing against aggressors, he said while paying tribute to the Palestinian martyrs.
 
All Muslim nations and governments should never hesitate to fully support the new Palestinian government and its nation and assist them in a bid to liberate the holy Qods from Zionist occupiers, he said.
 
Khaled Meshaal, for his part, thanked the arab-parast president for mullahs' wasiting $50 million on arabs' cause.  source

"we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism"

Iran doesn't think the US will attack them for several reasons:

Iran can create problems on several fronts outside Iran, namely in Iraq, the neighbouring Gulf States, chiefly Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, also in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. It can cripple the world economy through planned disruption of oil exports. Iran's bravado is based on the assumption that the U.S. is embroiled in the Iraqi quagmire and is no mood to enter into a new military conflict, and the fact that America relies on the Middle East for more than 25% of its oil.  Nehad Ismail

With Iran going nuclear, who will be next?  Saudi Arabia?  Egypt?  source  What about Turkey? 

What does the United States do when a country boldly states it wants "Israel wiped off the face of the earth" and that "we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism"?  I tell you what we do, we stop this silly dependence on the useless United Nations and we take some of those war plans down off the shelf at the Pentegon....   dust them off....  make any necessary revisions .....  and EXECUTE those plans!  Pronto!  Before Iran has a chance to fulfill it's crazy, Muslim prophet of the 12th Imam in the well President's wishes.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Debbie]

You are correct, Always on Watch. Islam from it's very beginning has hated the Jews and thus they hate us for siding with Israel. So be it. I know the side of right, and it is NOT with Muslims/Arabs.

[Always On Watch]

Ahmadinejad: "All Muslim nations and governments should never hesitate to fully support the new Palestinian government and its nation and assist them in a bid to liberate the holy Qods from Zionist occupiers, he said."

The sad and frightening truth of Ahmadinejad's words is that ALL branches of Islam share one common hatred--that of the Jews (the modern nation of Israel).

[Debbie]

What did Tony Blair say? I must have missed that. Of course you are right, we don't really know what is going on behind the scenes in Washington. I still have hope for Bush to come through.

If you are the A.C. from ForeLeft.com, I read your great post today. We think along the same lines.

[A.C.]

Debbie, good post and certainly the question everyone's having trouble with right now. The fact is, our bargaining position is weakened at the moment due to the difficulties in Iraq, that's just a fact. Iran does have levers they can threaten to pull, otherwise they wouldn't be talking so much smack.

Add to that the MSM's three year job of painting Bush as a warmonger and our own population will not even be behind an attack. And did you see what Tony Blair just said?

I don't envy Secty Rice and others trying to engage in diplomacy with these nutbags, but all bark with no bite will only embolden Ahmadinejad and further marginalize the UN. It would be nice to get international support for any actions, since it would make any fallout easier to manage.

It's a real tough problem with no easy solution, but we all know that Bush is a long-term thinker with little concern for polls, if you get my drift.