by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Oct. 1, 2009
All Rights Reserved.

           Ratcheting up the pressure on Tehran, U.N. Secretary Gen. Ban Ki-moom acknowledged that Iran’s new Qom nuclear enrichment facility violated past U.N. resolutions, insisting the Iranian nation desist from nuclear proliferation. Ban’s public rebuke signals a new stage of U.N. involvement in restraining Tehran from developing an atomic bomb.  Iran’s recently reelected fiery President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that Iran will not compromise its rights to peaceful nuclear power under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, permitting nuclear powers to complete the “nuclear fuel cycle,” enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.  Tehran has long boasted about its enrichment facilities at Natanz, where some 9,000 centrifuges spin high-grade “yellowcake” uranium into enriched uranium hexaflouride gas.  Ahmadinejad insists that Iran only wants to generate electricity.

            Only two days before Iran holds nuclear talks with the U.S., Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia, Ban signaled the U.N. support, though Ban’s views aren’t binding on any U.N. member.  Ban wants Ahmandinejad to submit to inspections by Mohamed ElBaradei’s Generva-based International Atomic Energy Agency.  Ban met head-on with Ahmadinejad, transmitting his concerns about Iran’s Qom enrichment facility.  Concerned about possible air-strikes on its enrichment facilities from the U.S. or Israel, the Iranian built a new facility deeply embedded into the rocky mountainside.  “The burden of proof is on their side,” said Ban.  “This new Iranian enrichment facility is contrary to the Security Council resolution . . . They should give full access to the IAEA—this is what I told him,” said Ban, antagonizing Ahmadinejad and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

            Ahmadinejad has already warned the West not to meddle in Iran’s internal affairs, especially its nuclear enrichment program.  “The Presdient . . . said it of grave concern that the U.N. Secretary General, instead of waiting for the IAEA, as the competent body, to reflect on this issue, namely, the new enrichment facility, has chose to repeat the same allegations that few Western powers are making,” read Mahmoud’s statement, rejecting Ban’s criticism.  Despite ElBaradei’s unequivocal condemnation of Tehran’s actions, Ahmaninejad insists that Iran complies with the IAEA.  Even when ElBaradei condemns Tehran’s recalcitrance, Ahmadinejad insists he’s complying.  Mahmoud insists that Qom is a new facility designed to develop the peace use of nuclear power.  To Ahmadinejad, the peaceful use of nuclear power involves acquiring, like Pakistan, a nuke at the earliest possible time.      

            For the past several days, Iran has been test firing a variety of short, medium and long-range missiles, designed to intimidate the West.  Faced with mounting pressure, Iran wants the West to know that Iran can respond to any type of attack.  Peaceful use of nuclear power involves achieving what Pakistan developed by 1998.  It took Pakistan 20 years to develop its military capability with the help of the Chinese.  Ahmadinejad appears to be following closely Pakistan’s example of first stockpiling Highly Enriched Uranium [HEU] before packing it into warheads.  He knows that possessing a nuke enabled Pakistan to restrain it archrival India, especially on territorial disputes like Kashmir. With a nuke, Iran knows that it can level the playing field with Western powers, no longer able to restrain the Mullahs from adventurist pursuits, including threatening the U.S. and Israel.

            Ahmadinejad is a figurehead serving at the pleasure of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s brutally repressive Islamic regime.  Khamenei hides behind his mouthpiece, allowing Ahmadinejad to take the hit in international public relations, spouting off racist views of Israel and the United States.  Now that Ban joins the chorus of rational nations complaining about Iran brutal crackdown on human rights, the U.N. has also joined Iran’s enemy’s list.  Ban complained about Iran’s crackdown on “freedom of association, assembly and practice of religion,” to name a few.  He urged Iran to allow human rights investigators to ascertain the whereabouts of certain pro-democracy demonstrators that disappeared.  “Iran condemns all the killings of innocent people that have occurred through history, including the killing of tens of millions of civilians in WW II,” said Ahmadinejad, begging the question of human rights’ abuses.

            Ban’s pressure on Tehran could boomerang in advance of five-nation talks about Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.  If history is any guide, Tehran will continue to stonewall efforts by the U.S. and European partners to restrain Iran’s nuclear ambition.  Ahmadinejad believes Iran has inalienable rights under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for whatever purposes.  While denying Iran’s pursuit of atomic weapons, Ahmadinejad can’t explain newly discovered uranium enrichment facilities at the ancient city of Qom.  Like Pakistan, Iran continues to enrich large volumes of uranium for the eventual purpose of packing it into nuclear warheads.  Ahmadinejad wants only the green light to enrich uranium to his heart’s content.  Iran’s radical mullah’s know that an A-bomb will help neutralize the U.S. and U.N. and dominate the Middle East.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.