They’ve known about Iran’s secret nuclear facility for years, yet world “leaders” expressed shock and outrage this morning that Iran lied. President Obama had some stern words for Iran. I’m sure they’ll immediately give up their nuclear ambitions because Obama told them to.
“Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow,” Mr. Obama said, flanked by Mr. Brown and Mr. Sarkozy at the beginning of a day of meetings on the global economy.
He demanded that the International Atomic Energy Agency “immediately investigate this disturbing information and immediately” report on its findings. Officials with the U.S., British and French government presented “detailed evidence” of the secret uranium enrichment site to IAEA officials in Vienna on Thursday, Mr. Obama said.
“The Iranian government must now demonstrate through deeds its peaceful intentions or be held accountable to international standards and international law,” he said, adding that his administration remains open to “meaningful engagement” with Iran, but only if they can demonstrate that they are enriching uranium for energy uses only.
The president’s statement was grim but lawyerly, with multiple references to international responsibitlies that Iran must adhere to and to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which is a bulwark of the administration’s strategy to hem in Tehran. Mr. Obama did not mention sanctions.
By contrast, Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Brown both talked of sanctions at the United Nations Security Council, and expressed anger and outrage at the news.
“The level of deception by the Iranian government and the scale of what we believe is the breach of international commitments will shock and anger the whole international community, and it will harden our resolve,” Mr. Brown said. “The international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand.”
Mr. Sarkozy said that “everything must be put on the table now” when representatives from Western countries meet with Iranian negotiators on Oct. 1.
“If by December there is not an in-depth change by the Iranian leaders, sanctions will have to be taken,” he said.
News of the site is a bombshell revelation that will likely give the White House more grounds to gain international consensus around fresh sanctions on the Iranian regime.
U.S. intelligence has known about the underground facility, which is about 100 miles southwest of the capital, for years. Mr. Obama decided to go public with the news now because Iran has become aware of U.S. knowledge of the project, according to original reports by the New York Times confirmed by the White House to the Washington Times.
I wonder how Iran found out we knew about the facility. And why does Iran need nuclear energy when they’re sitting on all that oil? And doesn’t Obama have some explaining to do, now that we know he knew what Iran was up to when he cancelled plans for an Eastern European missile sheild?
