Iran ready to suspend enrichment if sanctions are dropped?
posted at 4:44 pm on July 3, 2008 by Allahpundit
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I’ll believe it when I see it, but in the meantime let the debate begin. If they follow through, is it a lesson about diplomatic power or, per the IAF’s saber-rattling of late, military power? Or, better yet, diplomatic power backed by credible military threats? That’s always been the real issue with Obama wanting to chat with Ahmadinejad et al — not that he’s willing to wave a carrot but that, the left being what it is these days, there’s no stick in his other hand.
Iran expressed readiness to freeze its uranium enrichment program in return for lifting the international sanctions imposed on it, Channel 2 analyst Ehud Ya’ari revealed Thursday evening.
He cited unnamed Western officials as the source of the new development…
The unconfirmed report Thursday comes after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed scorn at the West’s sanctions and said Iran will push on with its nuclear program despite them.
Anyone believe they’re serious? They’ve been selling the idea of nuclear energy as their “inalienable right” to the Iranian public for years now. How do they back down under economic pressure without completely losing face? And why would they hand Bush a victory like this when all they have to do is wait him out for another seven months? Just sit tight for now and then next year, if/when Obama takes office, make the concession of suspending enrichment to reward America’s new dovish, all-stick-no-carrot approach. If they’re unwilling to do that I can only assume either (a) those sanctions are hurting them a lot more than we thought or (b) this story is pure crap.
Update: Corroboration?
In Tehran, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned against “provocative” remarks on the nuclear crisis, although whether he meant remarks like the ones for which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has become known is debatable.
Meanwhile, in New York, Iran’s foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, struck a soft tone during a press luncheon at the Iranian Mission to the United Nations, and refused to repeat Iran’s usual statement that it would never give up its right to uranium enrichment, although he was asked about it directly four times.
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Ummm…
“It’s a trap!”
Although I’m more inclined to believe that the sanctions have been taking their toll along with some Israeli special ops…
Skywise on July 3, 2008 at 4:46 PM
They are willing to say anything to get what they want - it is a Muslim country after all; the Koran directs them to be dishonest with non-Muslims if it will gain advantage.
I will believe it never.
Voidseeker on July 3, 2008 at 4:47 PM
B
G on July 3, 2008 at 4:47 PM
Freeze. hmmm…
Must mean they have weapons already.
faraway on July 3, 2008 at 4:47 PM
They have been watching North Korea.
Les in NC on July 3, 2008 at 4:48 PM
Worked for N Korea. The lying thing that is.
- The Cat
MirCat on July 3, 2008 at 4:49 PM
More rope a dope delaying tactics, plus giving their heir-esperee Obama a bone to play with. In addition, what does a “freeze” even mean? “Freeze” doesn’t imply dismantle, simply taking a breather.
Maquis on July 3, 2008 at 4:49 PM
By that I mean how well that worked with a dem in office.
Les in NC on July 3, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Dang it Les! :)
MirCat on July 3, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Economics…?
Buckiteer on July 3, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Typical tactic, …….. whenever they are feeling a pain, it’s time for a “cease fire” or “negotiations”.
I say send Jimmy Carter over to “talk” with Ahmadinejad et al, then suspend his passport whilst he is on his knees taking it up the rump!
Seven Percent Solution on July 3, 2008 at 4:52 PM
Nope, don’t buy it for a second. I don’t buy into the N. Korea stunt, either. I may be cynical, but I’m gonna try to keep my head and my country.
MNDavenotPC on July 3, 2008 at 4:55 PM
The only reason would be to save off the Israelis until Obama took over. The might now completely believe the are about to be struck and struck hard and so they need to buy time.
TheBigOldDog on July 3, 2008 at 4:56 PM
They can have nuclear energy without enriching uranium on their own soil. They can get the enriched uranium from a foreign source. The Russians have offered this. I don’t remember all of the Iranian rhetoric, if they were stating they had the right to nuclear energy or the right to enrich uranium. If they can get the uranium from another country they could probably save face by saying they have not given up civilian nuclear power production.
Mark1971 on July 3, 2008 at 4:56 PM
“Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot.” — Sun Tzu, The Art of War
CP on July 3, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Oh screw that.
Lift the already toothless sanctions and a year from now, Tel Aviv’ll be a smoking radioactive crater.
Let the Israelis carry out The Mother of All Raids and be done with it.
SuperCool on July 3, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Verify. Verify. Verify.
marybel on July 3, 2008 at 5:03 PM
You can’t trust a guy that want you dead.
SOB is buying time and the morons at the UN will fall for it.
jdun on July 3, 2008 at 5:05 PM
I’ve been saying for a couple of weeks now, that an attack by Israel on Iran really looks very doable, and Iran doesn’t have a lot of options after the fact (they are as dependent on the oil trade now as anyone).
bnelson44 on July 3, 2008 at 5:05 PM
They are only offering it because their economy is about to melt down. Tell them we will only do it if we phase out sanctions over 10 years, and require them to pay for inspections, etc, etc…. Put economic pressure on them as much as possible.
indythinker on July 3, 2008 at 5:09 PM
If this is true it would be more like military power backed by credible diplomicy. But, everyone knows this is a ruse.
Harpoon on July 3, 2008 at 5:09 PM
My hope is that Vince Flynn already figured this out. Like the Jews don’t have a guy on the inside already, paaa…lease.
sunny on July 3, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Bomb them.
indythinker on July 3, 2008 at 5:10 PM
Taqqiya, the Islamic art of deception, thats all. They would be smart to be scared of the hell Israel will rain down on them; smart enough to actually stop their plans for enrichment, doubtful.
Lunkinator on July 3, 2008 at 5:13 PM
Oh please. They are just trying to buy time until January 20, 2009.
SoulGlo on July 3, 2008 at 5:20 PM
If they are willing to allow inspectors 100% access to any and all sites the inspectors want to see then, and only then, will I open my ears.
Right now I’m betting that this offer is tied up in a helluva lot of string.
Limerick on July 3, 2008 at 5:20 PM
truth, lies, whatever… When your opponent staggers because of the punishing right you DO NOT pull the left uppercut. Seems to me we ought to scramble our jets and fly around refuelling over the med everyday..
Let me add that the deal you will hear about is NOT suspending enrichment, it is suspending ADDING new centrifuges while the exisiting ones spin away and it is being suuper-hyped by American Iranian academics who are big on the appeasement concept. Personally, I don’t believe them at all. But Rice, she’s going to go weak at knees over this, it’s kind of sad imho. In the end, on top of the 6 years they have already burned, they will buy more & more time.
saus on July 3, 2008 at 5:34 PM
We could freeze their program too. A few bunker busters down the right air shaft and there ya go!
Mojave Mark on July 3, 2008 at 5:47 PM
Hasnt anyone ever seen ‘Mars Attacks’?
NickTx on July 3, 2008 at 5:49 PM
Mahmoud is just putting on his Lucy costume and daring Charlie Brown to kick the football, again. But this time, she really means it. Rats!!
Over30 on July 3, 2008 at 6:05 PM
Déjà vu
KarmiCommunist on July 3, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Admit it. You smiled when you wrote that.
TexasDan on July 3, 2008 at 6:43 PM
The only thing the Mullah’s want is to cleave the Euro’s away from the US in negotiation. However, the Mullah’s will offer proof of their commitment - Javier Solana’s testicles, articles of good faith on the part of Iran.
..with Solana’s adoring consent.
Earlg on July 3, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Isreal should name all their bombs “sanction”
TC on July 3, 2008 at 7:01 PM
They saw the deal North Korea cut… and then did not folow through on but we raised those sanctions anyway…
So they figure they’ll cut a deal and renenge…
And Bambi will be in office by then and not do a dam thing.
Playin for time… remeber it only took us 4 years with 1940’s tech to create the first atom bomb… and they’ve now been working on nukes for 10 years or so? They gotta be close.
Romeo13 on July 3, 2008 at 7:23 PM
What a load of Shite. Israel needs to press forward. There will be a lot squaking and yammering around the world but everyone will be glad it happened.
JonRoss on July 3, 2008 at 7:57 PM
Fixed.
Spiny Norman on July 3, 2008 at 8:40 PM
I wouldn’t trust Iran as far as I could throw the entire country. That government is as crazy as a crap house rat.
Hog Wild on July 3, 2008 at 9:13 PM
1) It’s a new moon tonight.
2) It’s the beginning of a long, holiday weekend here in the States. News cycle’s down; markets closed until Monday.
3) Israel just practiced a huge bombing exercise.
4) The Israeli government just made an odd warning to northern Israeli hospitals about a possible “earthquake” in Lebanon. Substitute “Hizballah about to launch 50k missiles at us” for “earthquake”, and this starts to make sense.
It’s currently about 3:30am in Israel. They probably launched around midnight or 1am.
We’ll start hearing something in about 2 or 3 hours.
Just sayin’.
nukemhill on July 3, 2008 at 9:26 PM
Delay, delay, delay……..we are so close……just a little more time…..almost there and then……
Starlink on July 4, 2008 at 1:18 AM
Aack, Aack! :)
OldEnglish on July 4, 2008 at 1:47 AM
American Admirals are on the case
saus on July 4, 2008 at 3:54 AM
Liars lie, fools believe them.
sMack on July 4, 2008 at 12:50 PM
The Iranians must feel their backs are against a wall. Either this hint of a willingness to negotiate indicates they are ready to deal to avert war, or it indicates they see war as an inevitable outcome and want to garner sympathy should an attack on their nuclear facilities occur.
Either way, the wise saying from Reagan always applies, “Trust but verify”.
BryanS on July 4, 2008 at 12:53 PM