UN Sets Nuclear Deadline, Iran Walks Out in Protest

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog on Friday set Iran an October 31 deadline to prove it had no secret atomic weapons program, prompting Tehran to threaten a "deep review" of its cooperation with the agency.

Following intense U.S. pressure for action against Iran, the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution setting the deadline. Iran's delegation stormed out of the closed-door meeting, accusing Washington of having new invasion plans after Iraq

The toughly worded resolution gives Iran -- branded by the United States last year as part of an "axis of evil" with pre-war Iraq and North Korea (news - web sites) -- one last chance to prove it has been complying with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).


The United States says Tehran has violated the treaty in its effort to develop atomic weapons secretly. Iran, which denies the allegation, could face economic sanctions if reported to the U.N. Security Council for breach of its NPT obligations.

link below
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030912/wl_nm/nuclear_iran_dc_28

When will the warmongers be called on this tactic?

I can't help thinking this will be the big topic for next year when I see stuff like this. I can easily imagine Shrub and pals wetting themselves in anticipation of a war with Iran to boost opinion

...and then call them 'irrelevant' when they don't tow the line.

Thanks, Busheviks.

The nuclear non-proliferation treaty? The one the USA has thrown to the side?

The U.S. is pushing for a war in the Middle East again. Iran is the only real estate between Iraq and Afghanastan. Think about what this would give them. Open sea ports, oil fields, natural gas fields, control of the largest supply of oil on earth (combine Iraq and Iran) and Russia and the former Soviet bloc have some of the largest natural gas supplies in the world. It was this push to get the natural gas from the area around the Caspian Sea that led to 9/11 and the war in Afghanastan. This is not a war on terrorism.

Earlier in the year it was stated that the WH would rather have civil unrest overthrow the government in Iran than having to war with them. They incited a few students to protest and hoped that it would catch on. That was supressed by the Iranian government and now the WH is claiming that they have nuclear weapons. They are going to try and drag the U.N. into this one and take the burden off of the U.S. Unless the U.N. says they have no nuclear weapons, then the WH will start its saber rattling like it did with Iraq.

IMO there will be more civil unrest in Iran, or there will be Nuclear Weapons found. If the civil unrest is stopped again or never happens and the U.N. states that there are no nuclear weapons, then the U.S. will be getting ready for a war in Iran and claiming that they are fightning the war on terrorism. This will be the thing that Bush will try to use in his push to the WH for '04. He is failing on the economy, CA is not the sure bet that he thought it was going to be, his approval rating is falling. He is going to go back to his tried and true method of rally around the President during times of war. This will be timed to the Democratic primaries. If it is a senator that is leading, then they will vote for the war in Iran and make it a non-issue, or they vote against a war in Iran and get accused of being weak on national security and supporting the terrorist. If Dean were leading at that point, I think Rove will have a harder time working that angle unless Dean sets himself up for a fall.