In light of this morning’s revelation about a secret Iranian uranium enrichment plant, it is worth recalling Iran’s mocking response to the Obama administration’s request for negotiations. The Iranians said that they wanted to talk about:
Of course, covertly building a uranium enrichment plant that President Obama says “is inconsistent with a peaceful program” belies Iran’s claim of wanting to work towards preventing further nuclear proliferation. The reality is, as UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this morning: “Iran’s nuclear program is the most urgent proliferation challenge that the world faces today.” The Iranians did not say they wanted to enter into serious talks about their nuclear program. Instead, they wanted to talk about everything else, from the global economy, to promoting “democracy” and justice (as if they have an interest in either), and even their rights in outer space. But the mullahs did have this helpful suggestion about what should be included in the talks:
In other words, the Iranians want a larger say in how the IAEA goes about its work. That work will now undoubtedly include an investigation into Iran’s formerly secret facility, which was built to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs. That is, this newly-revealed facility was not about using “nuclear energy” for “agriculture, industry, and medicine and power generation.” It was all about nukes. Iran mocked the Obama administration in its last response. According to President Obama this morning, however, the ball is in Iran’s court once again. If the mullahs want to avoid additional sanctions, then they will have to come clean. “We remain committed to serious, meaningful engagement with Iran to address the nuclear issue through…negotiations,” President Obama said. The Iranians clearly are not.
