Iran's 'No'

The Wall Street Journal, Review & Outlook:

Last week brought the announcement of an agreement between Europe and the U.S. on a package of carrots -- including aircraft parts and the prospect of World Trade Organization membership -- aimed at coaxing Iran to give up its nuclear program through further diplomacy. If nothing else, this tactical U.S. retreat ought to put to rest caricatures of the Bush Administration as cowboy unilateralists bent on war with the mullahs.

And we mean "if nothing else." Because the agreement also encourages the world's No. 1 terror sponsors in their belief that civilized nations will ultimately flinch from confronting them over the nuclear issue. Tehran quickly dismissed the offer as "insignificant" and, with the vocal support of visiting Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, again proclaimed Iran's right to all phases of the nuclear fuel cycle.

The belief that there's a diplomatic solution to be had here is increasingly the triumph of hope over experience. Iran lied about its nuclear work to the International Atomic Energy Agency for two decades, and again and repeatedly when confronted and offered a chance to come clean. Just last week Pakistan confirmed that A-bomb salesman A.Q. Khan had indeed sold Iran uranium enrichment centrifuges, almost certainly as part of what has become known as "the package." No one doubts Iran has a bomb program.

Also a triumph of hope over experience is the belief at the State Department that the Europeans can be trusted to get tough if need be. We're told that President Bush has obtained personal commitments from Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Putin that Iran is not to be allowed to get the bomb. The Administration can also claim credit for winning the Europeans over to a "no-enrichment" position that requires Iran to give up its entire uranian-enrichment program and to refer the country to the Security Council if it refuses. Then again the mullahs know that France also promised to support tough action at the U.N. in response to a faltering disarmament/inspections program in Iraq.

Iran has already violated the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty without being referred to the Security Council and has consistently refused to renounce its alleged "right" to uranium enrichment, a position it reiterated in response to last week's offer. We hope by some miracle this latest diplomacy works. But soon enough the more relevant question is likely to be: When will Western leaders take Iran's "no" for an answer?