Iran: Will Israel Get An International Embargo?

The Jerusalem Post carries the statement of a senior Israeli diplomatic official that "the international community is starting to come to the understanding that Iran has been lying to everybody about its nuclear intentions."

The confidence of this argument lies in the completion of a United Nations' nuclear test detection station in Turkmenistan, just a few kilometers from the Iranian border. The 337th facility of the International Monitoring System is expected to be active by 2010.

The Israeli official asserted, "The Iranian issue is finally gaining ground in the international community." He added, "Luckily, Iran itself is decimating the efforts of even its most vociferous defenders to help it avoid international criticism."

Comments

[Catherine]

RE: The Israeli official asserted, “The Iranian issue is finally gaining ground in the international community.” He added, “Luckily, Iran itself is decimating the efforts of even its most vociferous defenders to help it avoid international criticism.”

Tell that to the Chinese. During a ten-day visit to China, Robert Dreyfuss interviewed several Chinese officials and experts who all indicated that Beijing views its relationship with Tehran as a strategic one, and it is not anxious to put it at risk by forcing a showdown over Iran's nuclear program.

"Although Beijing voted along with the United States in support of a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that was highly critical of Iran, there is no indication that China is considering tough sanctions. On November 30, Qin Gang, spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, declared that sanctions "are not the goal" of UN pressure on Iran. "We should properly resolve this issue through dialogue," he said. "All parties should step up diplomatic efforts."

"Zhang Min, the director-general for North America at the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, China's leading think tank founded in 1949 by Zhou Enlai, says that the world has plenty of time to deal with Iran. He makes it clear that Washington isn't likely to get support from Beijing if the current round of talks falter and the United States seeks to rally world powers for what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls 'crippling sanctions.' "

Read the entire article: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/12/patience-not-sanctions.html