The EU is negotiating with the Iranians to end Iran's suspected nuclear weapons ambitions. The Europeans like to believe that their awesomely big brains with polished sophistication and deep understanding will lead Iran to strike a bargain that will do what American cowboy actions cannot.
That's their theory anyway. So while the following story is no surprise to myself and lots of other Americans, the EU (and EU at heart) may wish to sit down before reading further about Iran's intentions to resume uranium enrichment:
"As long as the negotiations are continuing, the suspension will continue," said [Iranian] foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.
"We have put enrichment on the agenda and it must start in a while. If the negotiations work out or fail, we will resume," he added, also warning that Iran "will not accept the negotiations carrying on longer than a reasonable amount of time."
"It is obvious that the suspension cannot last too long," he said. "If Iran feels the EU is tending to kill time to prolong the negotiations, Iran will obviously not wish to continue the negotiations."
Iran and the European Union, represented by Germany, Britain and France, have been involved in lengthy negotiations, with the EU demanding that the Islamic republic abandon nuclear fuel work to guarantee it will not make atomic weapons.
Iran suspended enrichment last November as a confidence-building measure to start the talks with the EU, which is offering Tehran trade, security and technology rewards if it makes the suspension permanent.
Iran is suspending enrichment only long enough to extract trade, security, and technology rewards from Europe. Europe will grant them if only the Iranians will lie better. Because that's all the Europeans really need--plausible lies by the mullahs about Iran's future good behavior.
Unfortunately for the EU diplomatic set, the Iranians are quite forthright on occasion about their absolute determination to follow the nuclear weapons path.
Let me write his in crayon so the nice bold colors will stand out:
Iran will go nuclear if we follow the soft power path.
Iran makes that clear. Darned inconvenient for the well-dressed Euros with quill pens. No agreement will stop Iran and no amount of wax stamps and bright ribbons can conceal this fact.
God help us if we aren't preparing for regime change in Tehran.
