Iranian UN Ambassador: Iran Will Never Bow

In a defiant address in front of the UN Security Council this afternoon, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said that the sanctions adopted earlier in the day would not prevent Tehran from further developing its nuclear program.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to exercise its inalienable right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and to build on its own scientific advances in developing various peaceful aspects of this technology."said Khazaee.

He argued that the resolution was politically motivated and said his government had consistently demonstrated its opposition to the development and use of weapons of mass destruction, namely through Iran's cooperation with the IAEA, participation in the NPT ( Non-Proliferation Treaty) and a recent fuel swap deal with Brazil and Turkey.

In his address, Khazaee took Washington and London head on, alluding to the UK's colonial past in the Middle East, the US's sale of chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein in the 1980's and the role of both countries in the 2003 Iraq war to discredit their claims about Iran's nuclear aspirations and question their motives.

"I will not dwell on the abuse of this body and the biggest lies of the recent history articulated by still the same powers here when they attempted to justify their invasion of Iraq." said Khazaee, who also accused Permanent Members of The Security Council of "double standards" when it came to Israel's nuclear arsenal. "What is at stake today is the credibility of the Security Council, that has turned into a tool in the toolbox of a few countries who do not hesitate to abuse it when and where their interests require"

Asked about Khazaee's comments, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said she rejected Khazaee's notion of double standards, branding his comments as offensive and inaccurate, and clearly meant to distract from the fact Tehran was in violation of its nuclear obligation.

In the past few weeks, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised on several occasions that any new sanctions on Iran would mean the end of negotiations over its nuclear program, but Rice said the resolution did not mean the end of talks.

"This is a dual track policy, engagement and diplomacy remain very much on table.The purpose of this resolution was not to punish the people of iran, it was to change the calculation of the leadership in Iran, constrain their ability to pursue their nuclear and proliferation activities and persuade them of the wisdom of coming to the negotiating table in earnest"

Iranian President Looks To Attend Non-Proliferation Conference in New York

The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmajinejad appears to want to attend a conference of signatories of the Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) at UN headquarters in New York. US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said this afternoon that Ahmadinejad had applied for a visa for the conference next week. Iran is a signatory to the treaty but its nuclear development program has earned it criticism and sanctions from the US and other countries.

Rice seemed hopeful that the ongoing debate surrounding Iran's nuclear program and sanctions would not complicate positive developments during the NPT conference. Although intense negotiations surrounding the drafting of a resolution on more sanctions against Iran have been going on for months now, Rice indicated that consultations within the security council would continue "at an appropriate time" and that she anticipated consensus on the security council's course of actions in "the coming weeks".

"Iran is obviously, in any case, in the backdrop when consideration of the non proliferation treaty is occuring because it remains in violation of its international obligations, but we think this is much bigger than any one country. Our aims are universal and we will approach it in that vein."

Rice emphasized the importance of making concrete progress during next week's conference and that, in the wake of the signing of the START treaty with Russia and the Washington DC nuclear summit earlier this month, President Obama and other UN member states had clearly shown their commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament.

"The NPT has been and remains a cornerstone of our national security and we think this conference is very important opportunity to strengthen all three pillars of the non proliferation treaty" said Rice, referring to treaty's focus on non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. "There are many other member states that understand the crucial importance of this conference yielding an outcome that serves to reinforce all three pillars and the risk to the viability of the non proliferation treaty regime if this conference does not make progress in that regard"

A snowball in the Middle East

John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, discussed North Korean and Iranian nuclear proliferation at a banquet in the House of Representatives. Bolton described the current status of the North Korean and Iranian programs and attributed the White House’s changing policy towards North Korea and Iran to President Bush’s desire to leave a positive foreign policy legacy. He said both states have large influence in the Middle East and that making concessions to them could cause a snowball effect in the region.

Bolton lambasted President Bush’s suggestion to remove North Korea from the state sponsors of terrorism list. He said North Korea directly engages in acts of terror and should not be removed from the list simply due to its unrelated nuclear status. Bolton countered Bush’s stance by saying North Korea has not halted its uranium enrichment program and that the Bush administration is going out of its way to cast doubt on its existence.

Bolton also expressed frustration towards US-Iranian diplomacy, saying the Bush administration’s policy of not engaging in talks with Iran until Iran dismantles its nuclear program is in violation. He said the possibility of the United States placing foreign affairs officers in Tehran would show Iran that the United States will concede if given time. Bolton also added his opinion that an Obama administration would allow Iran’s quest for nuclear power to continue uninhibited.

U.S., Russia must keep Iran away from uranium cookie jar

Combined, Russia and Iran control about 50 percent of the world's natural uranium reserves. At a hearing entitled "Russia, Iran and Nuclear Weapons: Implications of the Proposed U.S.-Russia Agreement", Chairman Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.) expressed his concerns that Iran
is enriching uranium faster than sanctions are being applied to prevent this. The proposed civil nuclear cooperation agreement between U.S. and Russia would reduce Iran's incentives to expand its own uranium enrichment which would be used to make reactors or bombs.

Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Flo.) noted that the House adopted the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, prohibiting the submission to Congress of a nuclear cooperation agreement with any country assisting Iran's nuclear programs, by a vote of 397 to 16. However, the administration ignored this and went ahead with the agreement.

Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) testified but was exempted from questioning. Markey opposed the nuclear cooperation agreement saying it aided construction and fueling of the Bushehr nuclear reactor and was part of President Bush's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) program which plans to 'reinvigorate civilian nuclear reprocessing'. Markey noted that the Bush Administration
itself does not believe Russia's proliferation activity has stopped.

Unlike Markey, John C. Rood, acting under Secretary of State, was questioned by no less than 12 committee members. When asked by Senator Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) as to whether he would sign the so-called 123 Agreement (section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act) if it was modified, Rood would
not give a straight answer. Rood supported the agreement and gave assurance that the steps Russia has put in place in its agreement with Iran mitigated America's own concerns

Iran is a malevolent, but manageable, threat

The House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia met to discuss “Iran’s Strategic Aspirations and the Future of the Middle East.” Gary Ackerman (D-NY), said that Iran’s threat to America has gone ignored for years. He said that now Iran’s expanded realm means a real threat to the U.S., but that the security risks are manageable.

Congressman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said that Iran is the most malevolent and dangerous threat to U.S. interest. As for diplomatic tactics, Pence hoped that the next President would not use direct negotiation because it is ineffective. All of the witnesses emphasized Iran’s desire to become the preeminent power in Middle East. Judith Yaphe said that Iran wants the U.S. to recognize its legitimacy and its right to be the great power in the area. Because of Iran’s expanded realm of power and threat, the issues of Iraq and Iran are not isolated. Therefore, consideration must be given to Iran’s response to any changes made in Iraq, as Yaphe said.

In addressing the question of how to end Iran’s nuclear threat, Yaphe said that there is little to lose in negotiations, but Jon Alterman emphasized that the U.S. must not approach talks with the objective of changing the Iranian government. Experts and congressmen have not agreed on a tactic with Iran. While Pence endorses stronger sanctions rather than direct negotiations, the experts contend that talks with Iran may be progressive as long as they are not too ambitious.