The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency today warned that he cannot confirm that all of Iran’s nuclear activities are for civilian purposes. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told the IAEA Board of Governors, which is meeting in Geneva Switzerland, that “we cannot confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities because Iran has not provided the agency with the necessary co-operation.” His statement is a slightly softer indictment of Iran’s nuclear defiance than a confidential IAEA report leaked last week that indicated that the U.N. agency had “concerns about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.”
Amano’s statement will add momentum to calls for stronger sanctions against Iran at the U.N. Security Council, where the United States, Britain, France and Germany are pressing Russia and China to sign off on another sanctions resolution against Iran. Although Moscow has opposed calls for new sanctions in the past, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev today indicated that Russia may be willing to consider a new round of sanctions.
But persuading Moscow and Beijing to accede to effective sanctions will require strong American leadership. Unfortunately, the White House has fallen short on the sanctions issue, losing an entire year before pushing for another resolution. Moreover, the State Department has sought to indefinitely postpone gasoline sanctions passed by bipartisan landslide votes in both the House and Senate over the Obama Administration’s objections. This sends exactly the wrong signal about getting serious about penalizing Iran for its nuclear defiance.
The long-overdue push for a fourth round of U.N. Security Council sanctions has been aided by Iran’s rejection of a nuclear deal brokered by the IAEA to move most of Iran’s stockpile of low enriched uranium out of the country in return for fuel for a nuclear research reactor in Tehran.
The push for sanctions also has been aided by the replacement of the IAEA’s longtime Director General Mohamed Elbaradei by Amano in December. Amano has been much more forthright in detailing Iran’s continued failure to cooperate on nuclear issues, in contrast to ElBaradei who often seemed more interested in criticizing the West than carrying out his duties regarding Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons activities. After leaving the U.N. agency that he politicized to carry out his own agenda, Elbaradei now has returned to Egypt where he hopes to exploit his anti-western notoriety to launch a political career. This is a worrisome development for Egypt, but a net gain for the IAEA.
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Tensions continue to build within Iran ahead of the annual celebration of the 1979 Islamic revolution on February 11. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Monday for unity and vowed that Iran would “punch the arrogance” on the anniversary: “The Iranian nation, with its unity and God’s grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way that will leave them stunned.”
Washington responded to the heightened Iranian rhetoric by increasing sanctions on the revolutionary guards and lamenting the hypocrisy of Iran’s ruling regime. On Wednesday the Treasury Department announced that it was adding one individual and four companies to the list of entities affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that are targeted for financial sanctions.
The chief American representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Glyn Davies, told the Associated Press that it is “callous and chilling” that Iran’s government, which claims to be enriching uranium for civilian purposes, has rejected the offer to refuel its nuclear research reactor: “Why is Tehran gambling with the health and lives of 850,000 Iranian cancer patients in pursuit of ever more dangerous nuclear technology?” asked Davies.
Meanwhile, Iran’s ruthless regime made it clear that if Iran’s Green Movement opposition forces try to infiltrate the pro-government rallies tomorrow to give them an anti-government spin, then they will be jeopardizing their health and possibly their lives. Iranian police rounded up opposition activists in advance of the celebrations.
Moreover, the Iranian government has stepped up its efforts to block communication between opposition groups and the Iranian people by interfering with internet speeds and blocking text messaging services.
In addition to using street thugs to intimidate Iranian protesters, the regime also has dispatched members of the Basij militia to stage “student demonstrations” in front of the French and Italian embassies, charging the two western nations with interfering in Iran’s internal affairs.
Despite growing threats of intimidation Iran’s opposition leaders remain determined to mobilize their supporters to demonstrate tomorrow. Both sides appear to be girding for a potentially violent showdown.