[FREE IRAN Project] In The Spirit Of Cyrus The Great

[cyrus]

Iran Still A Threat
1 hour, 51 minutes ago


Investor's Business Daily
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ibd/20060228/bs_ibd_ibd/2006227issues

Nuclear Weapons: Maybe the Russia- Iran nuclear power deal will turn out to be a breakthrough. But we can't help thinking of Ronald Reagan and the Russian proverb he was so fond of quoting: "Trust but verify."

The supposed deal between Iran and Russia would give Iran access to nuclear technology for commercial purposes. But that access would be only through nuclear facilities on Russian soil, with oversight by the Russians.

Good idea? If carried out to the letter and with absolute transparency, such an arrangement might ease the world's fears about Iran getting the technology and raw materials for a nuclear bomb.

But given the record of both participants, we're a bit wary. After all, news of the deal comes just a week before the International Atomic Energy Agency is scheduled to deliver a report to the U.N. Security Council showing Iran's failure to comply with global nuclear nonproliferation rules.

On Monday, the IAEA signaled it doesn't think the deal's for real, alleging in a confidential report that Iran plans to begin enriching uranium fuel this year, even as it talks about ending such activity. The report adds that the IAEA couldn't say for sure whether Iran had undeclared nuclear materials or activities.

In that context, Iran's deal with Russia buys Tehran more time -- time in which it can continue down the path to a nuclear weapon.

The Iranians aren't fools. They know how fast we overthrew Afghanistan's Taliban in 2001 and Iraq's Saddam Hussein in 2003, and they don't want to be number three on that list. They also know we'd think twice of attacking a country armed with nukes.

That's not our only concern. We also worry about Iran's would-be partners in nuclear enrichment. The Russians have billions of dollars tied up in contracts with Iran, much of them in military weaponry. They've already built Iran a nuclear plant, in Bushehr. This deal just might be a backdoor to more business for Russia.

Only two months ago, Russia signed a $700 million deal with Iran to provide it with an air-defense missile system -- the only possible use of which would be to shoot down U.S. or European planes in the event of an attack. Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation reports, "Rumors linger that Russia may still be willing to sell its powerful S-300 missile systems to Iran."

We're also reminded of the newly documented ties between Russia and Saddam's regime -- ties that extended, apparently, to Russian generals and Spetznaz troops helping Iraq hide its weapons of mass destruction from U.S. and U.N. inspectors.

That's why, even as this deal between Russia and Iran is hailed as a breakthrough, we're dubious. Any deal must include Iran agreeing not to go forward with its own nuclear enrichment program. And the U.S. and Europe must insist on outside inspectors, both in Russia and Iran, for any program. Anything less would be foolish.

Average Americans seem to share this concern. A recent Pew Poll found 82% think Iran would give nuclear weapons to other terrorists if it had them. And 66% of Americans said a nuclear-armed Iran would "attack the U.S. or European nations."

Likewise, the State Department calls Iran the world's "most active state sponsor of terrorism." Iran backs Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, among others. It's a menace.

Iran was behind the 1996 truck bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 Americans. It was also the source of a 50-ton shipment of arms intercepted on the high seas in 2002 intended for use by the Palestinian Authority against Israel.

Could a Russia-Iran deal work? Possibly. It's certainly preferable to alternatives such as unilateral action by the U.S. to take out Iran's nuclear facilities. But it shouldn't lead to any less scrutiny of Iran. In fact, considering its partner, it should lead to more.