US Goes on Offensive Against Once-Touted Iran Diplomacy
Undersecretary of State Terms Latest Deal as 'Unfortunate'
As the US hypocrisy over angrily rejecting a third party enrichment deal with Iran that is materially identical to the deal they have been demanding Iran accept all along becomes painfully obvious, the State Department has turned to angrily railing against the “deficiencies” of the deal in an effort to sound cover up what amounts to an admission that they have never been pursuing diplomacy in good faith with Iran.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton termed Iran’s agreeing to US demands as a “transparent ploy” and claimed that Iran must be “held accountable” for accepting the deal.
Undersecretary Nicolas Burns took shots at Turkey and Brazil for successfully negotiating the deal, terming it “very unfortunate” and saying that it might well “give some members of the Security Council an excuse not to vote for sanctions.”
The agreement would have Iran sending 1,200 kg of low enriched uranium abroad in return for eventually being returned a comparable amount of fuel for its Tehran Research Reactor, a medical isotope reactor that is running dangerously low on fuel.
Though this is the same amount and the same timeframe as the deal President Obama has claimed to be supporting all along, the US has been rejecting the deal from the moment Iran agreed. Once refusal was the excuse for Iran sanctions, but now it is acceptance.
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E. A. Costa
May 25th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Bateson and Laing on doublebind.
It was also the younger Bush's tactic against Hussein.
They use it incrementally.
Hussein's fatal flaw, as one has said before, was calculating that US foreign policy was rational and in US interest.
The Iranians are not making that mistake.
Note also how the diplomatic situation also reinforces Brazil in being adamantly against the US bases in Colombia and against the US-supported Right Wing coup in Honduras.
Meanwhile Turkey, which the US treated shabbily before the second attack on Iraq, has all the roads in the area leading to Istanbul (the old Constantinople).
Plus they are members of NATO, just made a hugely significant deal with the Russians, and with the Russians completely control the Black Sea.
Joke 3455–Madame Clinton, Bene Gesserit Mother Superior, blows her nose and the whole world arranges itself in an anti-US coalition.
Juno Junoveldt
May 25th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Brilliant play on the part of Iran to expose the US as a feckless, duplicitious and scheming country whose word is not to be relied on. Damned right it is going to be more difficult to impose sanctions on Iran. The rest of the world (with the exception of the US public) has being paying attention.
Brian
May 25th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I don't know if this is a good representation of what Americans really think, unfortunately it probably is though… But go to CNN, Fox, etc and look what the "most liked" comments are there pertaining to Iran. They are the comments that call for us to "Nuke Iran" preemptively. The extreme hypocrisy of wanting to use nuclear force, preemptively mind you, as retaliation for imaginary nukes just makes my head explode.
We Americans are a dismal and arrogant bunch on the whole.
Amir Goy
May 25th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Evil is as evil does….
epppie
May 25th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou for being the first 'alternapundit' to say this:
"they have never been pursuing diplomacy in good faith with Iran."
It's always been obvious that Obama was not in good faith. Thankyou Jason for being the first (that I've seen) to cross the line to saying it.
Hacklheber
May 25th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Expect the UK to fall in and do its poodle impersonation.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cam…
Turning to international affairs, Mr Cameron said "all the evidence" pointed to Tehran's intention to acquire a nuclear bomb. Mr Cameron said: "All the evidence points in the same direction: that Iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons. "Even if Iran were to complete the deal, proposed in their recent agreement with Turkey and Brazil, it would still retain around 50% of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. "And it is this stockpile that could be enriched to weapons-grade uranium. "For the last six years we have pursued a twin-track policy offering engagement but being prepared to apply pressure. "I believe it is time to ratchet-up that pressure and the timetable is short. "This Government has a clear objective to ensure stronger UN and EU sanctions against Iran." He said measures should include restrictions on trade finance, asset freezing and action against banks holding funds for the regime in Tehran.
Valerianus
May 25th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Americans are twice as arrogant as the Romans, twice as stupid, and possess none of the Romans' virtues.
Valerianus
May 25th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Paul Craig Roberts pointed out the falseness and duplicity of FedGov diplomacy before he threw in the towel.
E.A. Costa
May 25th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
The comparison of the US to the Romans, Republican or Imperial, has always been weak.
The US is closer to the cruel, brutal, mercenary empire that was Carthage.
The Romans were very defensive, and originated the doctrine of "just war", for example.
Study the Fetial Priests carefully, for example.
Who was it argued that Rome conquered the world in self-defense? It is not a completely untenable position.
They tended to be arrogant in the East, dealing with Hellenistic Greeks, but part of it was show.
The first commander who faced a Macedonian phalanx, for example, later noted his absolute fright at what he saw.
What the Romans had was endurance and a large measure of Humanitas–also their invention–at their best.
they also insisted on realism about themselves, that is, portraits in stone or words with all their warts showing.
No one could ever say the same about the US.
Under the Republic the Romans now and then tried to turn over a commander who lied to the enemy–as at Numantia (in that case the enemy would not take him).
The Roman Empire never reached as far as Afghanistan and they had the sense to get out of Mesopotamia after ten years or so.
It is one of those purely airy hypotheticals, but it is not an altogether idle thought that the best of the Romans and their military, taken exactly as they were in their own time, would probably do better in Afghanistan now than the US with all its technology and no character or endurance or intelligence or humanity at all.
Brain
May 25th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
someone need to pay for their lie after lie and lies again. Western politicians always thought that they are the owner of the world while they have their militarism in place using it against what they have called the third world for years.., for Obama and Clinton to understand that there is a law and its needs to be followed by everyone is to start the process prosecuting Bush, Cheney, and rest of the gang and stop paying Israel for being the only apartheid regime and friend that US will ever have in Middle east. Only then people of the world would have some respect for US..,
MvGuy
May 25th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Here is what I wrote a week ago:
1 week ago @ News From Antiwar.com – White House Slams Iran… · 4 replies · +5 points
Here is the transparency Pres. "O" promised, We can see right through him and his "good intentions".
Not what he had in mind when he spoke of his great respect for transparency.. I never give the world leaders much credit for seeing things as they are to me, us and the ordinary citizens.. They are always looking for the votes, the bucks….the muscle to continue in power and prosperity….their-own. Whether it's Bolton promising India a get out of jail card for their nuclear business if they stab Iran in the back on the IEAE vote, or Uncle Sam handing out [cash] [bribes]"aid"….there is always American payoffs, [military equipment] power and pressure [military threats] shaping events. So if numerous world leaders are silent….and then decide Iran should give more….. You can be sure they have been gotten to, and "convinced" one way or the other to sign onto the ever escalating threats and pressure against Iran. But WHY Iran?? They are so insignificant, except to cause the U.S. economic pain if attacked…. I keep wondering Why Iran… What about….. well so many FAR greater problems and dangers…… Why Iran?"
I the only thing I might add is the strange way that the H-bitch seems to speak for world leaders about actions they may take in the distant [30 days] diplomatic future Re; Iran and sanctions.. WTF is going on..?? Is she SO sure that Russia and China TOO will abstain or vote in favor as she talks..?? I think that she is just begging to get the diplomatic rug pulled out from beneath her bulbous posterior… It seems a risky way to proceed in these touchy matters..
Pseudolus
May 26th, 2010 at 12:35 am
" One should never forbid what one lacks the power to prevent."
Napoleon Bonaparte
How to win a fight against a guy who knows taekwando? | taekwondo ITF VN
May 25th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
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MoT
May 25th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
The angry "Hills have eye's" rod damned Klintoon is a sociopath like her erstwhile partner in purloined power… "O" the hopeful. He's so "transparent" about who he is, or what he believes, that you can see right through him. The suit at 1600 Penn is as empty as any faith fools have in him.
MoT
May 25th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
How I love history. We have the luxury of looking back two thousand years or so and while we see those things as through a milky lens I truly wonder how history will recall these present day events.
TonyJoseph
May 26th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
As an American I do love my country – BUT – like Thomas Jefferson I recognize that God is 'just' and I fear God's justice upon my country for the evil that WE do!
Although God's justice is often delayed – I suspect that God will eventually hold US accountable for the wars we wage and the murders we commit as a nation.
Oops – perhaps God's justice is not so delayed? – It does appear that the US is on the verge of collapse? Economic collapse; moral collapse; rampant crime; etc – justice?
FM newswire for May 26, interesting articles about geopolitics « Fabius Maximus
May 26th, 2010 at 6:49 am
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