"Iran says Russian atomic deal no longer an option," from Reuters:
TEHRAN - Iran said on Sunday it was no longer considering a Russian compromise deal intended to overcome an international dispute over whether Tehran is seeking to build an atomic bomb.Russia had proposed making nuclear fuel for Iran to ensure uranium was enriched only to the low level needed for power stations. But Iran was unwilling to surrender its right to enrich uranium on its own soil...
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Tehran was not considering reprising the Russian plan.
"Now the situation has changed, the Russian proposal is not on the agenda," he told reporters at a conference on energy and security in Tehran...
Wasn't this the test case to see if they were serious about not building a bomb?
This would now seem to prove beyond any possible doubt that they want to build the bomb and there is no excuse now for political "pussyfooting" by the west and plenty of reason for immediate action.
It is only a matter of time before this escalates to a full scale conflict.
It seems to me that Iran is trying to commit suicide as a whole country...maybe they really want change but do not know how to proceed with it,if we take them out and make change then they will not lose face in front of allah, they can say it is because of the infidels and they can continue cry foul while enjoying secularzation.
They will push this to the extreme and we will invoke change....SOON.
The U.S. is really an off shore power in the region, though a grave nusiance to Iran. But Iran's ultimate enemy has to be Russia.
Russia has made it clear that they consider the former Soviet Republics to be part of the Russian sphere of influence, and Iran with nukes will draw that region into the Iranian orbit. A nuclear armed Iran is a catastrophe for Moscow.
Recently I read an article in which it was reported that Condi Rice and the Russian Foreign Minister had dinner. I'm sure they discussed this matter. The Russians do not want Iran to get nukes. For Russia (and Israel) this issue (a nuclear armed Iran) is a matter of survival.
Frank l agree with you that Russians must know that an Iran armed with nuclear weapons is a recipe for disaster. Putin puts on a brave face, but l am sure he is working behind the scenes with the U.S. on this, while making nice with Iran. now how does China see this threat? l heard that N.Korean just had some missile fly off near the Chinese boder. with thanks to Clinton and Carter!
This is why my portfolio remains long oil futures.
Lulu-
I don't know about China, but I can't see that a nuke armed Iran is in their interest either. (They have had some serious problems with militant Islamists in their western province of Xinjiang.)
On a separate matter, the Chinese must have their eye on Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan because of the resources there. However, I don't think China wants the region dominated by Iran, the area to become a super-nuke-armed-loonytoon-state dominated by Persia-Iran (which is a potential ethnic cauldron itself). I think they want stability in the region.
The region is a dangerous power vacume. My guess is that Russia and China will come to some understanding re the region in the years ahead...
Lulu-
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:TsccVAPIBKkJ:news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4482048.stm+xinjiang+province,+muslims&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4
China has problems with this too, but they are not trying to solve the problem with "democracy."
Okay, here's the real reason why the deal isn't going through. The Russians want a guarantee that the Iranians won't sell or give the Cheechens any nuclear weapons to use against them. the Cheechen rebels have adopted the Islamic culture and are seen as in kinship with Muslims if they, the Cheechens, aren't Muslim themselves.
China is worried because they are right there on the border with a Muslim country (Pakistan, if I'm not mistaken) and quiet as it's kept, afraid of terrorist attacks.
Imadumbnutjob is going to get his war pretty soon I think.