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02/03/2006:

"IAEA Likely to OK Iran Resolution"

VIENNA — European and U.S. diplomats expressed confidence Thursday that they would win the votes necessary to report concerns about Iran's nuclear research program to the United Nations Security Council.

With the support of oncereluctant Russia and China, there was little doubt that the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors would approve the resolution. All countries with veto power on the Security Council — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China — now support the measure.

Diplomats worked into the night to achieve unanimity on the 35-member IAEA board, a stand they said would make the resolution's message stronger. Syria, Cuba and Venezuela appeared to be inclined to vote no, sources said.
latimes.com


Tough talk from Tehran
t is another sign of the escalating crisis over Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions that the Islamic republic's foreign minister has warned of swift retaliation if, as expected, it is reported to the United Nations security council. Manouchehr Mottaki uses an interview with the Guardian today to threaten "severe consequences," including an end to snap inspections and other co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Mr Mottaki said something similar to Jack Straw yesterday. Like the threat by the commander of the revolutionary guard that Iran would fire missiles if attacked, this was, to put it mildly, extremely unhelpful.

The decision to report Iran to the UN has been made by all five permanent members of the security council, which is as good as things get in terms of international legitimacy. The IAEA is the UN's nuclear watchdog. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is being dishonest when he accuses the west of acting like the "lord of the world" in denying his country the peaceful use of the atom. Russia and China, hardly American vassals, are on the same side. This is not a replay of the Iraq crisis. Not yet anyway.


The Threat of Nuclear War
Any intelligent, informed person will have realized by now that the sabre-rattling warmongers in Washington DC and 10 Downing Street are planning a military attack against Iran in the near future.

The Israelis are noisy enough in their threats to conduct an air-strike on Iran by the end of next March and since June 2005 US strategic forces have been prepared to launch an attack using not only conventional weapons but so-called 'tactical' nukes and nuclear 'city-busters' .

If the planned attack is launched, it will be the first time since the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan that the USA will have again used nuclear weapons. The first time they did this it was against a country with which they were already at war. In the case of Iran, they will do so against a non-nuclear country which in no way has committed an aggression against any other country, least of all the US.

All the huffing and puffing presently going on about Iran's contravention of the International Atomic Energy Authority's regulations is not only patently untrue , it hides a much more machiavellian purpose. It will give the USA the legal semblance for making a nuclear attack.