The New York Times News Service reported Monday that Iran is ignoring “a U.N. demand to cease work on a once-secret nuclear fuel enrichment” facility. Adding insult to injury, Iran declared its intention to build 10 similar plants. Well blow me down. No one should be surprised by this brazen rebuke of the United Nations. Iran has embraced the goal of developing an atomic bomb, and “harsh sanctions” will not diminish the ambition. Nor will endless and fruitless negotiations. It’s high time for the Obama administration to stop wishing for diplomatic solutions and start preparing for a near-term military strike. A few well-placed bunker busters and we wouldn’t have to worry about a nuclear armed Iran for decades.
Don’t hold your breath. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs pooh-poohed the Iranian statement as “another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself.” On the contrary, the Iranians have brazenly showed their hand, going all in on the idea that President Obama doesn’t have the stomach for military action. They are probably correct.
America’s European allies are equally undiscerning about Iran’s blindingly clear aspiration. Referring to Iran’s decision to increase its nuclear enrichment program 10-fold, a diplomat in Vienna sniffed, “It’s preposterous.” He went on to note the United States has only one such facility, completely missing the central point. Iran is willing to risk sanctions, isolation and more to join the nuclear club. The number of enrichment plants is beside the point.
President Obama’s naive belief in the power of talk has been revealed for the folly it is. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will say and do anything to get his A-Bomb. Feigning cooperation, alternating between nice guy and robust adversary and making false promising are his stock in trade. To fall for such foolery makes a monkey out of us. Will we never learn? Hitler lied to gullible Western powers, as did Stalin, Khrushchev, Kim Jong Il and a host of others. Trusting in the power of negotiations, even when backed by credible sanctions, is to play into the hand of monsters.
Worrying about world opinion in the wake of a pre-emptive strike is also simple-minded. Radical Muslims cannot hate us more than they already do. Our European “allies” have proved themselves fair weather friends. By striking now America has little to lose and a great deal to gain. Ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions will make America and the world a much safer place.
The day Iran makes its first nuke will also be the day further negotiations become much more difficult and military action infinitely more risky. Once in possession of an atomic device, Iran will pretty much become untouchable, unless we want to risk losing far more than some very big buildings. The time to strike is now.
Posted by Jerry Pomeroy in War on Terror