U.S., E.U. Seek U.N. Action on Iran

Eli Lake, The NY Sun:

Ahead of a showdown in Vienna today, America, Britain, France, and Germany were lobbying for the votes necessary to take Iran to the U.N. Security Council for violating an interim agreement earlier this summer that barred it from enriching uranium.

But diplomatic sources tell The New York Sun that the vote may be delayed further unless Europe and America can persuade at least Russia and India to vote for the resolution. READ MORE

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dug in his heels, proclaiming the enrichment of uranium an "inalienable right" on Saturday during a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. During a meeting with Turkey's prime minister last week, Mr. Ahmadinejad said his government would share nuclear technology and expertise with other Islamic countries.

Leading the negotiations for America is Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, who has been in constant communication with his European counterparts to develop a strategy for today's meeting. Yesterday, Reuters reported that European diplomats in Vienna had already begun work on a draft resolution to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council.

A further delay of a vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency could deliver a major blow to President Bush's plan to keep nuclear weapons from the Iranian mullahs, whose regime he called in 2002 a member of the "axis of evil."

This week, Iran policy topped Mr. Bush's agenda as he met with heads of state to press the case that the country, one of the world's leading exporters of oil, was seeking mastery of the nuclear fuel cycle not for energy but to manufacture weapons. A year ago, Mr. Bush prepared to push for Security Council referral after Iran blocked inspectors' access to some of its facilities, but opted instead for a deal that froze enrichment at the behest of the Europeans.

On Saturday, Secretary of State Rice highlighted the case against the Islamic Republic in a speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the U.N. General Assembly.

"Questions about Iran's nuclear activities remain unanswered, despite repeated efforts by the IAEA. After agreeing to negotiate with Europe, Iran has unilaterally walked away from the talks and restarted its nuclear programs," she said. "All of this from a leading state sponsor of terrorism, which threatens to destroy the fragile opportunity for peace that now exists in the Middle East."

Ms. Rice's stern words appeared to be directed at Mr. Ahmadinejad, who on Saturday told the United Nations that claims that his country was seeking nuclear weapons was "propaganda." Iran agreed to allow unannounced inspections of its nuclear facilities in 2003 after admitting to conducting enrichment programs, the existence of which the country hid from the IAEA for at least 15 years. In July, Iran began the conversion of uranium hexaflouride, or yellow cake, to gas, the step before enrichment in the fuel cycle. Iranian officials promised to suspend such activity while the IAEA continued its work to certify that its previously undeclared program was for peaceful purposes.

In his speech Saturday, Mr. Ahmadinejad railed against America for supplying Israel, which he referred to as a "Zionist occupation regime," with weapons of mass destruction. As for America, Britain, France, and Germany, he said, they "are not only refusing to remedy their past deeds, but in clear breach of the Nonproliferation Treaty, are trying to prevent other countries from acquiring the technology to produce peaceful nuclear energy. Today, the most serious challenge is that the culprits are arrogating to themselves the role of the prosecutor."

Backing up Mr. Ahmadinejad's message in Tehran, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, said yesterday, "We hope that Monday's IAEA meeting will be positive and helpful to future negotiations. However, if it turns to the other side, we will make decisions accordingly."

While diplomatic sources say there is a numeric majority among the board of governors at the IAEA, major powers like Russia and India are not yet prepared to refer Iran's violations of its prior agreements to the U.N. Security Council, where the Islamic Republic could face sanctions. Russia's neutrality on the Iranian nuclear program could prove particularly troubling for America and Europe given its veto power at the Security Council.

On Fox News yesterday, President Putin was evasive on the matter. "We are ready to coordinate our actions with American and European partners. I must say that our positions are rather close. At least all of us are categorically against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, particularly in Iran," he said.

Mr. Putin met with Mr. Ahmadinejad on Friday in New York and pledged to cooperate on everything from defense matters to aviation. In a meeting with Jewish leaders in New York yesterday, senior Russian officials said that Moscow had yet to decide whether it would support a resolution referring Iranian nuclear nonproliferation treaty violations to the U.N. Security Council, and expressed skepticism about such a move.