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Last update - 10:18 24/09/2008 The era of sanctions has ended By Yossi Melman Tags: Israel, UN, Iran, Nuclear The UN's sanctions on Iran have collapsed. That is the only conclusion one can draw from Russia's announcement earlier this week that it is no longer willing to support the Security Council's permanent members' proposal for a new set of sanctions, the fourth of its kind, against Iran. Though no funeral has been held or death certificate issued, Moscow has rendered clinically dead the joint international efforts to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The sanctions imposed two years ago were not strong, as they were the result of a compromise between the U.S., EU, Russia and China. But they expressed a moral stand by the international community that it would not come to terms with a nuclear Iran. Advertisement Russia, which will complete constructing a nuclear power plant in the Iranian city of Bushehr this year, was never enthused by the idea of sanctions. It did everything it could to stall and weaken them. Eventually, it always agreed on watered-down versions while exploiting U.S. weaknesses such as its involvement in Iraq, the presidential elections and its severe economic crisis. Thus, Russia is strengthening the Iranian regime and signaling to it that the basic, though superficial, international consensus against it has ceased to exist. This new development could not have come at a worse time. Though the former sanctions were weak, their impact has only now begun to yield results and raise concern among Tehran's ayatollahs. The country's economy has taken a plunge despite the steady flow from its main source of income, oil. Iran's inflation has risen to over 30 percent; unemployment, especially among the youth and university graduates, is also spreading. A drought has harmed agriculture to such an extent that the country has been forced to import wheat from the Great Satan. Its major cities suffer from power outages every week, which in turn disrupt water supplies. Refined oil is also in short supply because of the lack of refineries. As a result, many of Iran's citizens have accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who faces reelection in nine months' time, of creating an economic crisis. Now, thanks to support from Moscow, the Iranian president and his patron, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, can feel more relaxed and claim that the international sanctions will soon be lifted, deflecting criticism against them. All this at a time when Iran is "galloping" - as the head of Military Intelligence's research department, Brig. Gen. Yossi Baidatz, said earlier this week - toward the technological threshold where it can produce its first atomic bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency last week released a report in line with Israel Defense Forces' estimates that Iran now has a third of the enriched uranium needed to produce the fissile material for an atomic bomb. In addition, recent revelations have shown that Iran is trying to design a nuclear warhead to be fitted on its Shihab missiles. Iran is only months away from crossing the technological threshold of building an atomic bomb. After attempts by western intelligence agencies to foil Iran's program failed, the U.S., U.K., France and mostly Israel (and secretly the Arab states too) placed their hopes on sanctions. They hoped Iran will decide to comply with the UN's demands and stop enriching uranium, but that hope is now gone. Because there is great doubt if the new U.S. presidential administration, whether Republican or Democrat, will okay a military strike against Iran, Israel - which is itself in a deep political crisis - faces a huge dilemma. Should it launch a military strike, limited as it may be, on Iran's nuclear facilities in order to set its nuclear program back a few years and risk Iranian retribution; or should Israel accept that its era of nuclear monopoly in the Middle East has ended, and assume a new role as passive witness to a regional nuclear arms race Bookmark to del.icio.us   Beatle in Bethlehem Paul McCartney says West Bank visit shows he is carrying message of peace. Biden on the attack Democratic VP candidate says McCain presidency would benefit Iran, Hezbollah.   1.   There`s an irony here 10:38  |  Colin Wright 24/09/08   2.   The sanctions would not have stopped Iran Russia is an enemy 10:51  |  Shalom Freedman 24/09/08   3.   Russia - Israel foreign relations 11:44  |  Manny Goldstein 24/09/08   4.   putin runs russia.medvedev is a joke 11:49  |  judah 24/09/08   5.   Suspiciously predictable 12:57  |  Natallie Durson 24/09/08   6.   Why should we care about Israel ? 13:25  |  lev 24/09/08   7.   Funny isn`t it 14:02  |  Chris Linthwaite 24/09/08   8.   There is another scenario. 14:17  |  Stephen. 24/09/08   9.   GOD SAYS: "IRAN, IT IS YOUR TURN NOW" 14:20  |  indrajaya 24/09/08   10.   too modest 14:27  |  Murray 24/09/08   11.   # 8 stephen 14:44  |  Axel 24/09/08   12.   Russia-Israel Relations 15:06  |  Mark 24/09/08   13.   Russia has always had a complex after WWII. 15:15  |  The Equalizer 24/09/08   14.   #5 I tink you give Bush and Condi waaay too much credit, Natalie 15:30  |  Johnboy 24/09/08   15.   On the contrary, Russia guarantees peaceful Iranian atom 15:33  |  Ivar 24/09/08   16.   Colin Wright-not so 15:37  |  examiner 24/09/08   17.   M GOLDSTEIN Putting the cart before the horse 15:51  |  PETER SM 24/09/08   18.   Gog and Magog 16:24  |  George 24/09/08   19.   Shucks..... 16:33  |  Clickfool 24/09/08   20.   The "Overplayed" relations with Georgia. 16:42  |  Stephen. 24/09/08   21.   Stephen #8: what agenda, exactly, Stephen? 17:38  |  ivo 24/09/08   22.   Sanctions require leadership 18:21  |  Donnelly 24/09/08   23.   40 days? 18:42  |  common sense 24/09/08   24.   #9, Totally Confused Indrajaya 18:47  |  Gary 24/09/08   25.   why on earth Russia should be a servant of US and Israel ? 19:16  |  mehmet 24/09/08   26.   Russia and Sanctions. 19:28  |  P. J. Casey 24/09/08   27.   #6,12 ARE RIGHT. WE CAN THANK TZ. LIVNI FOR THIS 20:03  |  MIRON 24/09/08   28.   McCain wants to confrontate Russia 20:10  |  Mark B. 24/09/08   29.   Only one choice to be made 20:41  |  Jess 24/09/08   30.   For Jess, in Florida # 29 21:12  |  Clickfool 24/09/08   31.   Clickfool 21:55  |  TonyL 24/09/08   32.   You know what Click? 22:12  |  Ben 24/09/08   33.   Watch out for the parinoids, there everywhere! 22:24  |  Tom Clark 24/09/08   34.   # ben re clickfool 22:34  |  Axel 24/09/08   35.   The failures of our globalised times 22:54  |  christoph 24/09/08   36.   #25, Mehmet Did U Read #24 ? 01:02  |  Gary 25/09/08   37.   #8,Yes They are Bedfellows to their Detriment 01:24  |  Gary 25/09/08

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