Friday, January 13, 2006
Iran Threatens not to Comply with UN Inspections
A friend and I had dinner the other night, and got into a discussion on the threat that Iran poses should they develop nuclear weapons. I think of myself as normally a dove, but I am a realist, and understand that the Iran is just too dangerous with a nuke. Not only do I think that Israel would be wiped off the map before long, but I fear Iran’s close ties with terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, and wonder how long before we would see nuclear terrorist attacks.
I am a proponent of a quick military strike, take out the plant quickly. It’s a show of strength, perhaps the only real currency that’s respected in the Middle East. My friend prefers an approach where we negotiate the consistent inspection of Iran’s nuclear facilities to assure that only nuclear fuel is being produced, and to assure that Iran doesn’t gain nuclear weapons.
Sorry, but this view just doesn’t ring as realistic to me. The same type of cat-and-mouse games we saw with Iraq in the 90s will happen in Iran, and they will do everything they can to develop a nuke. Doing so would elevate Iran’s status in the Middle East, and their status against the US. This is their goal, there is no doubt in my mind.
Now they have clearly indicated that if UN sanctions are imposed, they will not submit to UN inspections. Take the sign: they are not going to anyone prevent them from creating their nuke. They are making whatever space they can to wiggle through, so that they can make the nuke without interference. And Iran with a nuclear weapon is a very scary thought.
We can’t be soft with Iran. They already see us over-extended in Iraq, and it leads to the obvious thought that the US and the international community cannot enforce any edicts which it may decry against Iran. So what’s to stop them from developing the nuke and gaining significant power in the Middle East? Only the guts to take swift action, now, before Iran has a chance to develop weapons.
Posted by Scottage at 10:39 PM /
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