So the Euros laid down the law to the Iranians:
The foreign ministers of the European Union's three biggest powers sent a strongly worded letter to Hassan Rohani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, warning that resuming potentially arms-related nuclear work "would bring the negotiating process to an end," an EU diplomat quoted the letter as saying.
"The consequences could only be negative for Iran," it said.
Surely, the Euros figured, a strongly worded note was just the ticket to bring those mad mullahs into compliance! And we'll show those cowboy Americans how proper diplomacy is handled!
In Euroland, the mullahs would scream like a woman and retire to their fainting couch to recover from the diplomatic drubbing they had endured. Then they'd promise to be good and let the inspectors in to take away the offending centrifuges and nuclear material.
In the real world, the mullahs had a different response:
Iranian officials have been negotiating with the EU trio to try to allay fears that Tehran is seeking nuclear arms.
The Europeans last year won Iran's assurance that it would suspend its nuclear fuel cycle activities for as long as talks went on.
But Iran has become frustrated with the talks and said it would restart making nuclear fuel, an action that would marshal the Europeans behind U.S. attempts to haul Tehran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.
Iran said it would give ministerial level talks one last shot before announcing the return to making atomic fuel.
The entire European Union, with the finest diplomats and backed by the will and military might of an entire continent, have achieved exactly squat.
Well, not squat exactly. Now the Iranians are issuing ultimatums.
Of course, Europe still has the dignified surrender option open. If the Iranians will stoop to accepting the surrrender of Brussels, that is.
By the fall, our Strategic Petroleum Reserve will be full and I imagine we will start to look for other options. The Euro detour from reality hasn't been fun, but it has been real. And it will be time for real solutions. Solutions the Iranian mullahs can understand.
We must not allow Iran to go nuclear. Regime change in Tehran--very soon.
