Editorial: Strong Sanctions Now

10/1/2008

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Three times the U.N. Security Council has passed binding resolutions demanding that Iran suspend its efforts to enrich uranium—a key step toward developing nuclear weapons. And three times, Iran has rebuffed those resolutions while accelerating its illicit nuclear activities.

Sanctions efforts both inside and outside the Security Council have inflicted considerable economic pain on the regime in Tehran. Yet whatever measures have been applied still have not been enough to persuade Iran to verifiably end its atomic work. Time is of the essence as the Islamic Republic is rapidly overcoming technical obstacles and getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon.

Both U.S.-led international sanctions efforts and the Security Council must do a lot more to present a united international front against Iran’s quest to develop a nuclear weapons capability. U.S. and E.U. sanctions are vital in the effort to stop Iran’s nuclear drive, but Tehran continues to do business with key countries—especially Russia and China—who are reluctant to sanction Iran inside or outside the Security Council.

Russia’s attitude has been particularly troubling. On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York last week, Russia refused to attend a high-level meeting to discuss new Iran sanctions, citing Washington’s stance on the Russia-Georgia conflict.

Such linkage between Georgia and Iran is unwarranted. After all, a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic poses a danger to the entire region and even to Russia itself, which is much closer to Iran than is the United States. Russia is playing politics when it is time to get serious over an issue of global concern. Does the Kremlin or anyone really want the Islamist theocrats to have nuclear weapons?

If the answer is no, then enacting biting economic sanctions is the best and only peaceful way to achieve Iranian compliance.

Israel is beginning to worry that Iran will go nuclear and it will have to face the new threat alone. Gabriela Shalev, the Jewish state’s U.N. ambassador, said she felt Russia’s stance meant the end of any hope of stronger U.N. sanctions. “We don’t see it working or leading anywhere,” she said.

If the world fails to adopt stronger sanctions against Tehran, Israel and other U.S. allies in the region may begin to assess what other steps may be needed to prevent Iran from going nuclear.  •NER•

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