International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei last week said the international community has failed to contain Iranian atomic activities that could support a nuclear weapons program, the Los Angeles Times reported (see GSN, Dec. 4).
(Dec. 8) -
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei last week criticized international efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programs (Behrouz Mehri/Getty Images).
Iran has endured economic isolation over its nuclear drive but has repeatedly rejected offers of economic and security benefits to halt its disputed nuclear work, which it defends as strictly peaceful.
"We haven't really moved one inch toward addressing the issues," ElBaradei told the newspaper. "I think so far the policy has been a failure."
Sanctions aimed at punishing Tehran's defiance have ultimately contributed to "more hardening of the position of Iran," he said. "Many Iranians who even dislike the regime (are) gathering around the regime because they feel that country is under siege."
However, ElBaradei added that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has offered "lots of hope" by expressing willingness to diplomatically engage U.S. antagonists such as Iran and by making worldwide nuclear disarmament a goal of his political party.
"He is ready to talk to his adversaries, enemies, if you like, including Iran, also (North) Korea," ElBaradei said, arguing that President George W. Bush has been slow to engage international foes. "To continue to pound the table and say, 'I am not going to talk to you,' and act in a sort of a very condescending way -- that exaggerates problems."
ElBaradei suggested that Washington and Tehran could launch talks addressing the nuclear dispute along with other points of contention dating back decades (Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6).
Bush restated Friday that Iran would not be permitted to acquire a nuclear bomb, United Press International reported.
"We have made our bottom-line clear. For the safety of our people and the peace of the world, America will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon," he said in prepared remarks for an address in Washington (United Press International, Dec. 5).
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended diplomacy's role in pressuring Iran to halt its disputed atomic activities, Agence France-Presse reported.
"Iran is still pursuing quite clearly the technology that can lead to a nuclear weapon, but Iran also faces a heavy set of sanctions [from the United Nations and] through the companies and banks that will no longer deal with Iran," Rice told Fox television.
"Iran's isolation has deepened. Indeed, Iran is more isolated and there's a greater international consensus about the Iranian program than at any time," she added.
To date, "the Iranians have not given (in) to the demands of the international community. But we continue to put the pressure on, and the diplomatic course is really the best course," Rice said (Agence France-Presse I/Google News, Dec. 7).
Iran today urged Obama to move away from the strategy of simultaneously offering benefits for nuclear compliance while issuing threats for defying international demands, AFP reported.
"The carrot-and-stick approach has proven to be useless. It is an unacceptable and virtually failed policy," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi.
Obama said in an interview aired yesterday that he would pursue "tough but direct diplomacy" with Tehran, offering incentives for halting disputed nuclear work while ratcheting up pressure to comply with U.N. demands (Agence France-Presse II/Google News, Dec. 8).