Breaking: Iran issues formal response to European nuclear offer (Update: “A new formula”?) (Update: Ready for “serious negotiations”)
posted at 9:13 am on August 22, 2006 by Allahpundit
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Just across at Fox via Reuters. They’ve handed the envelope to UN envoys. Will it be “GoodFellas”? Or “Dances with Wolves”?
Standby for the exciting conclusion.
Update: In case you missed it, Khamenei said yesterday that they won’t halt enrichment. So there’s not much suspense in what the official response will be.
Update: “I expect a very ambiguous answer.” The UN’s given them until the end of the month to reply, so if, as expected, Iran rejects the offer now, look for nine more worthless days of talks to get them to change their mind before September 1 rolls around and the Security Council really does have to make a move.
Imagine next Friday, as every right-wing hack op-ed writer in America begins his or her column this way: “Sixty-seven years ago today…”
Update: Ambiguity indeed: Iran’s Fars news agency says they’ve rejected the offer but have proposed a “new formula for resolving the issue through talks,” the details of which haven’t been made available yet. Waiting to see this confirmed elsewhere. Here’s the Fars article.
Update: Sanctuary’s betting they’ll reject the offer:
Update: The Times of London seems to be hearing the same thing as Fars. Another round of cheat and retreat:
Iran offered what it described as “a new formula” to resolve the dispute over its nuclear programme today.
Details of the offer, which was presented to ambassadors in Tehran more than a week before a UN deadline for Iran to stop enriching uranium, were not immediately available but Iranian officials hinted that they expected negotiations to be able to resume after a months of deadlock.
Western diplomats said they were expecting an “ambiguous” response.
Iran’s statement was given to the ambassadors of Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany by Ari Larijani, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, at the offices of the Supreme National Security Council in Tehran. The United States, which has no diplomatic presence in Tehran, was represented by the Swiss ambassador.
Update: Fox just broke in to say that Iran has announced it’s ready to begin “serious negotiations” starting tomorrow. No details yet, but I have a feeling what their definition of “serious” isn’t quite the same as ours.
Update: AKI: “Just hours before the self-imposed deadline, an anonymous source at the IAEA told Adnkronos International (AKI) that new centrifuges were installed at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility over the past two weeks.”
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5 gets you 10 that they tell us to take a flying leap.
V5 on August 22, 2006 at 9:18 AM
Hmmmm….. And today is August 22. Should I assume the fetal position now?
pjcomix on August 22, 2006 at 9:49 AM
Dammit! I had that blog entry all planned.
see-dubya on August 22, 2006 at 9:55 AM
Prediction: I believe another dodge by Iran, promise of “negotiations” to keep the Europeans and the left anti-war elements pressuring for more talk. The response of Iran will be designed to provide the maximum amount of “ambuiguity” to give them the most time. The “negotiations” are not made in good faith by Iran but are a ploy to obtain more time.
I also believe Iran’s objective is to gain more time to develop their nuclear weapons. NYC or Israel disappears in a Mushroom cloud and Iran will say “What, Me? I didn’t do it! (Prove it.) So sorry and we condem this attack” as it prepares to provide more nuclear weapons to Isloamofacist terrorists.
omegaram on August 22, 2006 at 10:10 AM
Well, it’s 8/22. Time to lay some Armageddon on top of Mahmoud’s head.
Why wait around for them to use their nukes or hand them off to some terrorists?
Ooh ooh, the world community might get mad at us.
So what?
Privately, they’ll thank us.
JammieWearingFool on August 22, 2006 at 10:20 AM
The envelope likely contains an Iranian rendition of pressed ham on copier glass, possibly captioned “What part of ‘Screw You’ do you not understand, infidels?”
Pablo on August 22, 2006 at 10:23 AM
“You keep using that word … I do not think it means what you think it means.”
nukemhill on August 22, 2006 at 11:00 AM
How long until somebody musters the guts to do something about this ridiculous charade?
rplat on August 22, 2006 at 11:20 AM
Does anyone actually believe they want to negotiate. This is getting so ridiculous that it is pathetic. Anyone with common sense knows they are only stalling and using the UN to delay so they can create the Nukes.
If we do not bomb them and get it over with they will have the nukes and the destruction of the USA will not be far behind.
Even one Nuke will destroy our financial markets not to mention the carnage from a dirty bomb. What is GWB and Condi waiting for?
ScottyDog on August 22, 2006 at 11:25 AM
I kept hearing this morning on Fox News Radio that Iran’s nuclear program may actually not be as far along as we thought, and that may be the real reason behind Iran’s proposal for more “talks”. Plus, they can always count on the EU (and Russia and China) for support on that. It’s typical nonsense. They are playing this game for the world to see that the U.S. is the bully in all this, and they are trying their best to negotiate a compromise. Liberals, the UN, EU, Russia, China, etc. will continue to eat this crap up.
Rick on August 22, 2006 at 11:52 AM
That picture looks weird: it’s like Mad Jad is flipping off the guy behind him, and both are chuckling it up. plus, the area of middle finger looks fuzzy, as if MJ were waving it.
zb42 on August 22, 2006 at 11:54 AM
zb42, the photo has been photoshopped
How much does anyone want to bet that Iran is just stalling for time because they haven’t gotten their nuke together quite yet. I bet Ahmadenijad (sp?) put that timeline out to his scientists that could not produce.
*puts ‘The End is Nigh!’ sandwich board back on*
JasonG on August 22, 2006 at 12:03 PM
This shmuck is the LEADER of IRAN. What a country. I watched an interview with some London Islamic whiner and he said the reason for all the bombings worldwide is American Policy. Excuses are for pregnant Nuns. Unfortunately, it may be time to bring out the big iron and light the place up. I see absolutely no hope of rehabilitation for these boneheads. One thing is for shure, they do understand power and in their case, might means right. KTAALGSTO. The last three letters stand for “Sort Them Out”.
Shmo on August 22, 2006 at 12:04 PM
Taken your meds lately?
JasonG on August 22, 2006 at 12:07 PM
Whoah–his middle finger looks photoshopped!
JamesVersusEveryone on August 22, 2006 at 12:09 PM
Oh, it is.
JamesVersusEveryone on August 22, 2006 at 12:10 PM
JasonG:
I don’t know whether the pic has been ps’ed or not. I leave that to those more experienced and eagle-eyed, such as the A man.
I doubt that it is; after all there are no victims to exploit nor is there any militaristic bombast to puff up.
I’m just noting that it’s a very strange, almost eerie, and somewhat disconcerting picture.
zb42 on August 22, 2006 at 12:17 PM
Mock Mood Imaschnozola is Anti-Christ…..
No, not *THE* Anti-Christ, but definitely has that type of spirit about him.
:/
VonHelton on August 22, 2006 at 12:48 PM
hahahahahahahhahahhaahahahahahhahaahahaha
*wipes tear from eye*
hahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahahahah
oh, that’s a good one… “have to make a move”
The security council doesn’t have to do anything… except blather on and put the world at greater risk and waste money. There’s about as much chance of the security council doing something significant here as Osama turning himself in.
Nope, Iran will give some fictious “negotiation” statement and the UNSC will accept it and everyone will make anti-American and anti-Israel statements because we (rightly so) fear what this nut job is capable of.
The UNSC was SO freakin’ hot to get some cease fire resolution passed (that it only took 34 days) and now all the countries are reticent to send in any of their troops. That almost makes me laugh except for how dangerous it is for Israel. I think Israel should reengage and continue on, citing the UN’s lack of holding up thier own end of the resolution.
hmmmm
maybe I shouldn’t post before eating breakfast
rahjr2k on August 22, 2006 at 12:55 PM
Time to recalibrate the amount of explosives we’ll need for Natanz…nothing more…
BirdEye on August 22, 2006 at 1:04 PM
“Yes; The photo has been p’shopped.”
-Bryan @ Sanctuary,
The P’Shopper In Question
Prophet on August 22, 2006 at 1:31 PM
omegaram has it right. Iran has said it watched how long it took for us to actually do something about Saddam and is using the same tactic.
Plus, what the hell are we thinking WRT to negotiating with these guys? Doesn’t Islamic law say something along the lines of “it’s okay to lie to infidels in negotiations?” Correct me if I’m wrong, but some guest on Michael Medved said something to that effect.
We are being such fools…but then again, Reagan took down the commies in Russia without firing a shot. Somehow it seems like this is different.
NTWR on August 22, 2006 at 1:44 PM
The “Security” “Council” makes a move, or it doesn’t make a move. Either way, it’s just theater.
Kralizec on August 22, 2006 at 1:55 PM
The security Council. What a joke. All I can think about is oil for food. Now there were some tough sanctions.
Shmo on August 22, 2006 at 2:17 PM
I think he was separated at birth..
WriterMom on August 22, 2006 at 3:06 PM
I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it. If Mahmoud wants a nuke so bad, I think we should give him one. ;-)
RobertCSampson on August 22, 2006 at 3:41 PM
In all seriousness, now is the time to test out our F/A-22’s along with our bunker busters. The window for them to have a positive effect is closing fast.
Let’s say enough is enough before enough isn’t.
Kevin M on August 22, 2006 at 4:38 PM
In the mega-ton variety!
:)
VonHelton on August 22, 2006 at 4:39 PM
What we are wintessing here is the Iranian version of the movie “The Mouse That Roared”.
The benefactor, in this verion, will be the United Nations.
pocomoco on August 22, 2006 at 6:50 PM
They’re stalling for time. History is repeating itself again and again and again and again. When they have played the UN like a bad fiddle for all they are worth and finally have a nuclear warhead, it will be too late to close the barn door after the horse has already gotten out. And Israel will probably cease to exist, followed very closely by Iran.
stm on August 22, 2006 at 6:55 PM
(try again)
What we are witnessing here is the Iranian version of the movie “The Mouse That Roared”.
The benefactor, in this version, will be the United Nations.
pocomoco on August 22, 2006 at 6:55 PM
“Serious negotiations”? Just another stall tactic for Iran to further their nuclear development.
For all the window dressing, sleight of hand and smoke & mirrors, let us all not forget that Iran declared war on us on November 4, 1979.
doingwhatican on August 22, 2006 at 6:59 PM
Just out of curiousity, if a uranium enrichment facility accidentally got buried under 20-30 feet of fresh hog shit,
how long would it take for the stench to ease off enough to allow for a Hezbo rescue team to dig it out, and what is the proceedure for un-defiling said facility and personel?
NellE on August 22, 2006 at 9:53 PM
What, their bowels?
Kid from Brooklyn on August 23, 2006 at 1:33 PM
Back to the stone-age w/12(?) bullets. They will need time to elect new supreme mullahs or whatever passes for a brain trust over there.
tormod on August 23, 2006 at 4:14 PM