Analysis: Security Council Statement Underwhelming... Tick, Tick, Tick

Vital Perspective:

Vital Perspective has obtained the text of the Security Council presidential statement on Iran. This is a watered-down statement which - at Russia's demand - dropped any reference to Chapter 7 ("threat to international peace and security"), and therefore is not binding. Iran was given thirty days to comply instead of the original fourteen. The five specific IAEA demands were watered-down to just one. This is the result of nearly a month of negotiations, meaning that Iran essentially enjoys nearly sixty days of unimpeded enrichment activities which continue unabated. This assumes, however, that action is taken after thirty days - experience shows otherwise. As we reported exclusively, Iran's enrichment progress is advancing more rapidly than previously assumed. Once again, the diplomatic process is completely out of sync with the pace of Iran's technological progress. You wouldn't know that though from reading the press. READ MORE

UPDATE: John Bolton is not a happy camper: "The Security Council can and should work with other UN bodies [the IAEA], but if the Iranians take steps as they have repeatedly over the last four years that show a continuing desire to get nuclear weapons that poses and has posed a threat to international peace and security that the Security Council has a responsibility to act on. I don't know what steps the Council will take, I've said before and I'll say it again - this is a test for the Security Council. The threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism are the greatest threats to international peace and security we face in the world today. How the Council handles those threats, will be a determining factor in the role of the Council in the future."