Back in December, one report stated: "The [Obama] administration had given a rough deadline of the end of 2009 for Iran to respond to an offer of engagement and show that it would allay world concerns about its nuclear program."
It's 2010 now, and Operation "Don't Just Do Something, Sit There!" continues. "Iran rejects heart of nuclear proposal," by George Jahn for the Associated Press, January 19:
VIENNA - Iran has told the head of the U.N. nuclear agency that it does not accept an international proposal committing it to quickly export most of the material it would need to make a nuclear warhead, diplomats said Tuesday.
For months, Iranian officials have used the media to criticize the plan backed by most of the world's major powers and to offer alternatives to one of its main conditions -- that the Islamic republic ship out most of its stock of enriched uranium and then wait for up to a year for its return in the form of fuel rods for its Tehran research reactor.
While critical of such statements, the United States and its allies noted that Iran had yet to respond to the International Atomic Agency regarding the plan, first drawn up in early October in a landmark meeting in Geneva between Iran and the six world powers, and then refined later that month in Vienna talks among Iran, the U.S., Russia and France.
But Iran now also has told the IAEA -- which chaired the Vienna talks -- that it wants an alternative to the plan. Its version effectively rejects the key demand that it agree to a tight timetable in shipping out most of its enriched uranium supply, said the diplomats.
The talks in Vienna came up with a draft proposal that would take 70 percent of Iran's low-enriched uranium to reduce its stockpile of material that could be enriched to a higher level, and possibly be used to make nuclear weapons.
That uranium would be returned about a year later as refined fuel rods, which can power reactors but cannot be readily turned into weapons-grade material. Iran maintains its nuclear program is only for the peaceful purpose of generating energy.
The Geneva talks grouped the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany around the negotiating table with Iran. Diplomats from three of those big powers said Tuesday that Iran's counterproposal to the IAEA was essentially a rehash of an already publicly floated offer that fell far short of the six nations' expectations....
But hey, it bought them more time.
This deserves the The Captain Louis Renault Award
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1DEG6BWgp0
Meanwhil in the Netherlands: http://nos.nl/nieuws/live/journaal24/
Here we go again.
Another deadline from Obama and company will undoubtedly be imposed.
Some people never learn.
oh sure a country awash with oil needs nuke power for electricity, l guess the iranian want a small carbon footprint.
B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-But we are engaging in "smart" diplomacy and the One is loved around the world. He even apologized for anything and everything, what more do they want? Huh, you mean they want the destruction of Israel and the US? You mean they are serious, that they weren't just reacting to that cowboy Bush?
Offer an open hand to blood thirsty regimes, don't expect to go home with that hand.
I keep flicking through the news channels on my Skybox, seeking that which has so far proved elusive. Perhaps one day, hopefully soon, I'll come across a televised press conference with a military spokesman flanked by two flags, both blue and white, one with the compass star of NATO and the other with the six-pointed Star of David. And maybe he might say this:
"Thank you for attending, ladies and gentlemen.
At 0600 hours local time, the Israeli government, in collaboration with its NATO partners, commenced a series of precisely targeted air operations against the primary sites forming the core of the nuclear programme within the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Israeli action is taken in justifiable self-defence, triggered by the relentless and aggressive declarations of an Iranian leadership whose manifest intention to eliminate Israel is not only a matter of record, but has been clearly and openly stated many times over the past few years. The military action currently under way occurred because despite years of negotiation and entreaty by the Western allies, plus the passing of increasingly strongly worded resolutions from the United Nations, the government of Iran has clearly and repeatedly rejected the collective will of the community of world nations. Iran has become one of those countries which threatens its neighbours. This threat is now being removed.
However, due to humanitarian considerations, and because the Israeli action is entirely self-defensive in nature, and in no way constitutes an attack on the Iranian state in general, great care has been taken to restrict the targets to encompass only those sites and facilities whose operation would indicate they had applications within a possible nuclear weapons programme. Any further military actions carried out by the Israeli Armed Forces over the coming hours or days will reflect the same approach, with the greatest consideration given to the preservation of innocent lives within the civilian population, wherever possible.
The action which is currently being undertaken by the Israeli government, entirely legally under international law, has the full support of their NATO allies, who recognise Israel's right to exist, and its right to defend itself against any threat to that continued peaceful existence. Air strikes and any other military action will cease immediately it is decided that the threat to world peace posed by the Iranian nuclear programme has been effectively removed.
Because this action is carried out in the name of Israel's legitimate right to self-defence, other NATO forces have been deployed in the area to discourage any unlawful, aggressive response by the Islamic Republic of Iran or its allies. Any such action would incur the gravest possible consequences and would leave the NATO alliance no alternative but to respond promptly, robustly, and with overwhelming force.
It is our hope that the government of Iran will now take this opportunity to revise its position on the pursuit of nuclear power and allow the development of other, more peaceful energy resources without threatening their regional neighbours and with the help and support of their trading partners. Only such a decision would allow Iran to once again rejoin the community of nations.
That's all for now, ladies and gentlemen. You can pick up a transcript of this statement on your way out and further statements will be issued in due course.
So... any questions?"
Iran is bellicose as always, and yet those who want to impose sanctions—a pretty weak response, really, to a regime which is developing nuclear arms and has vowed to "wipe Israel off the map"—are considered "hawks".
Here's an article on the subject (note, also, the ridiculous cartoon of Obama manfully restraining one of those hawks):
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/hawks-outmanoeuvred-on-iran-1.564303