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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Europeans toughen tone with Iran, warning sanctions if Tehran resumes nuclear program
2005-08-04
France, Britain and Germany hardened their tone toward Iran, warning that Tehran risked triggering an international crisis and could face U.N. sanctions if it follows through with a threat to resume its nuclear program. The toughened stance on Tuesday came a day after Iran said it would resume nuclear processing at its plant in Isfahan, beginning Wednesday, and follows the election of a new ultraconservative government in Tehran.

In a letter to Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, the three nations' foreign ministers and the EU foreign policy chief warned that restarting work would "terminate our dialogue" and push the Europeans to seek a special session of the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency's board can report countries to the U.N. Security Council, which in turn can impose sanctions. The Tehran government rejected the European stance. "The way is not to issue threats. Iran will not give in to threats," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

Earlier on Tuesday, France and Germany urged Iran to wait for a proposal from European negotiators that is expected this week. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said the European Union was prepared to offer extensive economic incentives to Iran, which he hoped could succeed in "de-escalating this dangerous situation." France warned that Iran would have to face the U.N. Security Council if it reopens its Isfahan Nuclear Conversion Facility and resumes uranium processing. "This Iranian affair is very serious," said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. "It could be the beginning of a major international crisis."
Posted by:Fred

#22  When I start deep trollin I want more than one liners by .com and Pappy.

Lucky he even gets that.
Posted by: Pappy   2005-08-04 21:57  

#21  Once the MMs are armed with more than a few, it will be too late. Conjecture #3 looks more and more likely because it seems that we cannot summon the will before we loose a city or two.
Posted by: SR-71   2005-08-04 21:32  

#20  And then it will be toooooo late! The Imperial Persian State will have overrun all of Europe, destroyed the Zionist Entity in 12 nuclear blasts and escaped without a blemish. Post-Putin Russia works closely with the Perisans because of an ethnic affinity going back thousands of years. The only hope for the west is maybe, just maybe thousand and thousands of little tiny asdf;lkjdfas

WHAT?
Goldie: Were going to type the salvation of the west against the Perisan Empire will rely on thousands and thousand of tiny slipper eating robots? That's stupid. Matter of fact the whole concept of a fierce modern Perisa is stupid.

THUMP.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-08-04 19:41  

#19  Western sanctions won't matter more than a cup of warm spit. China is Iran's largest oil customer. Even if Europeans can work up the nads to isolate Iran, China will gladly take 100% of Iran's production. Any Iranian imports can more than adequately be made up by Chinese (thanks western, esp. US, rope selling capitalists) or Russians.

No one, including the US is going to invade Iran. Europeans better get used to living with the nuclear threat again, but this time with the added bonus of jihad and colonization. Eventually the threat will reach US shores.
Posted by: ed   2005-08-04 18:14  

#18  I keep hearing this bullshit about sanctions, but am not impressed, even though it is a necessary first step towards Iran's destruction.

However I am glad we're allowing the Europeans to take the lead on the "negotiations" so that the socialist Euro protestors don't lay out the old "America is just looking for an excuse to go to war" bullshit.

In fact we're not looking for an excuse, We've got plenty of reasons to go ahead, including some righteous revenge on yonder new "president" for his role in the embassy takeover.

We're just biding our time, preparing for the foreseable eventuality we know is coming.

First Syria, then on to Iran.

EP
Posted by: ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding   2005-08-04 17:40  

#17  SPo'D - I hope like hell we are doing something to hasten the tipover - like clandestinely cooperating and organizing the anti-Mullah groups. And that is likely more a case of wishful thinking than the EU3's sanctions having an effect. Sigh. We shall see, but I hold out no real hope it will happen internally because I seriously doubt we have the assets to help them. And they're just thug-bait as things are now.
Posted by: .com   2005-08-04 16:59  

#16  lh - Now the juxtaposition of the EU3 vs Russia / China sounds like fun, lol! But they'd cave in the minute a few bucks hit the table. The socialist nanny-state situation has made them weak. I won't say all three are falling, the UK is doing fairly well, but France is at the tipping point now and Germany, well, we'll see how Madame Merkel handles things. She doesn't have forever to undo the socialist program burden and she won't last if she moves too fast.

I like the idea of screwing Puttyputz and Hu. If only the EU3 weren't paper tigers.
Posted by: .com   2005-08-04 16:53  

#15  Problem is they live in a police state. It takes a long time as we have seen for it to reach a tipping point, this point is years in the future, us trying to help it will just make it farther off. We may hjave to take action well before the tipping point is reached.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-08-04 16:47  

#14  I share your skepticsm that the Russians and Chinese would allow the Iranians to be cut off - theyd stop it at the UNSC, or ignore the sanctions. Still, anything that sets the Euros against the Russians and Chinese is good, and I suspect is why the admin has been pushing the EU3 forward on this.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2005-08-04 16:41  

#13  "If we can cut off investment in their oil industry, theyve got a major economic headache."

What? You can't back that up because it's demonstrably wishful thinking. The Euros have backed off on sales of tech gear and investments, as stories posted here a few months ago pointed out (featuring Germans and Halliburton, IIRC), and who's jumped in? Russia and China - who laugh at the Punch 'n Judy show called the EU3. To suggest otherwise is facile and superficial. They are rolling in money, thanks to oil prices. There won't be an uprising of unemployeds. Now the "youth", well now, that's a different story... that has absolutely nothing to do with any "threatened" foofoo sanctions.

The population bubble, the "youth" of Iran, was created, ironically, by the Ayatollah Khomeini's "revolution" (devolution is more accurate) which outlawed all forms of birth control. Their dissatisfaction with the MM's is due to the fact that their parents remember pre-MM Iran - and have planted the seeds of freedom, of an open society, of electing a "reformist" and have it actually mean something. To be overthrown by them would be irony of the first order. They are the only hope for an internal end to the MM Mullahcracy.
Posted by: .com   2005-08-04 16:38  

#12  sanctions might not be so ineffective - the mullahs can deal with university students, and with ethnic minorities, but can they deal with millions of unemployed youth? If we can cut off investment in their oil industry, theyve got a major economic headache.

Of course that assumes the Euros have the cojones to even take this to the UN. But then they may not have the cojones to keep pissing off Uncle Sam, either. And then theres the Russians. So i wouldnt count on anything happening.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2005-08-04 16:18  

#11  One doesn't become "deep" by digging. Is that one line? Or two? Or three? Or...
Posted by: .com   2005-08-04 16:14  

#10  When I start deep trollin I want more than one liners by .com and Pappy.
Posted by: Bull Gator Moron   2005-08-04 16:12  

#9  The rest of us can grin and spin...but high noon is coming!!

Must be hard spending the whole night thinking this deeply metaphorical stuff up...
Posted by: Pappy   2005-08-04 14:47  

#8  "The way is not to issue threats. Iran will not give in to threats," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

What about Tomahawks or Bunker Busters? Will you "give in" then, there mullahs? I'm watching you!
Posted by: John Bolton   2005-08-04 10:23  

#7  Sanctions you say!?!!?
If history is any guide,there will be some high level meetings in Russia, Germany, France & the UN to figure a way to cash in on them.
Or does that only happen when the US is the one pushing for them?
Posted by: JerseyMike   2005-08-04 08:35  

#6  *Yawn* Maybe a stern letter from Uncle Kofi is in order.
Posted by: Spot   2005-08-04 08:31  

#5  but Israel has it's ass in the crack from Iran haha! Now there's an image. Having some translation problems are you, smn?
Posted by: 2b   2005-08-04 07:54  

#4  I'm thinking it would be an insult to shit to say that is a shit-for-brains post. So I won't.
Posted by: .com   2005-08-04 07:39  

#3  One constant in this universe on this matter, is that Israel is the wildcard. The rest of us nations can 'jawbone', 'hobknob', and cajole; but Israel has it's ass in the crack from Iran. The rest of us can grin and spin...but high noon is coming!!
Posted by: smn   2005-08-04 05:44  

#2  Oh, the dreaded 'Sanctions' threat. I'm sure the Iranians are shaking in their robes, as they are loading more ships with oil distined for Europe. The only card the Europeans have to play is the real willingness to turn to the US to lay waste to the country without remorse. That the mullahs know Europe is totally incapable of doing. The Europeans also know that the US can be counted upon to provide them protection cause of good allies like the Poles and Danes. Its all a free ride. Its all show.
Posted by: Omiger Snaviting1691   2005-08-04 02:07  

#1  I'm sure the Iranians are really 'thumbing their nose' at the EU3 over that threat! They know that when that would translate to 'boots on the ground' later, the EU3 will have to come crawling to pappa US for resolution; by that time, the Iranians will have made critical progress in their quest to resolve the nuke containment "packaging problem" before they 'cry uncle'!
Posted by: smn   2005-08-04 00:28  

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