After rumors that it had rejected a draft nuclear agreement drew outrage from Western diplomats and calls for more sanctions against the nation, the Iranian government today announced that the secret communique delivered to the IAEA wasn’t a formal response to the pact at all, but rather an informal expression of its “positive attitude” toward the proposal and desire to hold more talks regarding it.
The draft agreement would have Iran ship the bulk of its low-enriched uranium stockpile overseas for further enrichment so it could be used in a Tehran facility to create medical isotopes. The deal was initially proposed by Iran, but certain details are reportedly a stumbling block, particularly France’s involvement in the process as they previously reneged on a nuclear deal with Iran and Iran is suspicious that they will refuse to return the uranium once obtained.
France responded to Iran’s clarification today by angrily demanding that Iran immediately produce a written formal response to the draft proposal, and appeared to rule out any further negotiations over the details.
The US likewise warned Iran that “time is not unlimited” to continue negotiations. Iranian officials seem to be looking for some kind of guarantee that they will not simply be left high and dry after shipping their nuclear stockpile abroad, Western officials seem uninterested in making a deal unless it includes Iran immediately handing over that stockpile. Whether there is troom to satisfy both sides remains to be seen.
One can understand the Iranians point of view if the french had not kept their agreement in the past. Also I find it interesting that the Iranians, who signed the NPT, allow inspections, and voted for a nuclear free Middle east at the last IAEA conference in Vienna, is always the target of animosity, while Israel, who never signed the NPT, has nuclear weapons, and was the only country NOT to sign on for a nuclear free middle east, is not the target of intense criticism and sanctions the way Iran is. It is indeed a double standard world when it comes to Israel and Iran.
It is obvious Israel, through AIPAC controls the US House and Senate. It is also obvious Rahm Emanuel is president and Obama is nothing more then a teleprompter reader that conveys what his handlers write for him. Clinton and Bush were also controlled by Israel. McClain would have been no better. He had Lieberman following him around like a shadow.
Our Congress has been "Israeli occupied territory" for a long time. I hope you're wrong about Emanuel and Obama, but you may not be. I was very dissappointed when he hired Emanuel for his Chief oc Staff. Emanuel is an Israeli citizen and served in their army. What do you think Americans should do to stop our govt. from being a lapdog to the Israeli Lobby on mideast issues?
It's been said that Rahm Emanuel is the MOSSAD's North American station chief!
That's an extraordinary comment. Nothing Israel does surprises me anymore. They are only about themselves, and really believe they are better than the rest of us I think. But could we be so stupid to invite a Mossad agent in the Whitehouse?
Even if the French had not screwed the Iranians previously, the Iranians would be utterly insane to deliver all their LEU to a nation that stands in the front rank of Iran's enemies. The laughable thing is that the FedGov and its lackeys actually seem to think people won't notice that, and instead will spout off with the expected indignation about Iran not being a "responsible" negotiator. Sadly, the typical American will buy the FedGov agitprop.
Israel deserves to have nuclear weapons and be free from the NPT and IAEA inspectors.
Why?
Because Israel is doubleplus good!
The antiwar press is doing a good job exposing the lies and distortions of the US & EU propaganda machines. Paljustice makes the salient facts simple and crystal-clear. This war build-up, similar to Iraq's, is false and doomed to futility. The mis-allocation of resources goes on, digging the hole deeper for all countries tied to neo-colonial nostalgia. The new magnetic-electric technology of the orient is leaving them hopelessly behind.
The West has been negotiating in bad faith over this Iranian nuclear "issue" for a long time. It's no wonder the Iranians want everything spelled out beforehand. "Hand over the enriched uranium – all of it", says France, "and never you mind right now what we're gonna do with it once we get it, that's not important! Just hand it over now." Only criminals "negotiate" like this. Really, the only thing that has changed is that Ahmadinejad has not yielded under pressure to give up their rights to enrich uranium under NPT protocols like former Iranian regimes have done. And this is what all the hullaballoo really boils down to, nothing more.
France has always been dealing in the middle east with double standards. We remember the Reactor they built for Iraq and allowed the israeli agents to blow it up before it even left france. No doubt they would have passed all the secrets of the Osirak reactor to the israelis to facilitate its destruction in 1981. The Arabs or the Iranians would be mad to trust the French.