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Last update - 09:53 24/02/2008 ANALYSIS: Iran's delay tactics include denying, lying, refusing By Yossi Melman Tags: IAEA, nuclear program, Iran Iranian delay tactics continue. They make a pretense of cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They show them this or that document. They respond truthfully to this or that question and go back to their malevolent ways. They deny. They lie. They refuse to respond, or they claim that the material they are shown is fabricated. Thus Iran's evasive tactics have persisted for five years, all with the goal of playing for time. It seeks to deflect pressures and to please at least some governments, particularly Russia and China, considered the weak links in the international effort of the major powers, to expose the Iranian deceit and impose more sanctions. The new IAEA report - 15 reports have already been written about Iran's nuclear project - like its predecessors, finds it hard to decide where Iran is headed; whether its nuclear plans are really for peaceful purposes as it claims, or in order to develop a nuclear weapon, as the United States, the European Union and Israel claim, and as at least some of the findings attest, in the present report as well. To what end did Iran secretly purchase Pulonium 210, if not to manufacture a nuclear warhead? Why did Iran experiment with particularly high-powered explosives if not to test its capability in the chain reaction? Why did it purchase thousands of magnets abroad and not report them? Why was it found to possess blueprints for the manufacture of a nuclear warhead ? Why is Iran engaging in uranium enrichment, if not to have full control over the fuel cycle so as to manufacture highly enriched uranium itself? All this is in addition to many other discoveries made possible only by precise intelligence that anonymous intelligence agencies trubled to pass on to the IAEA so it could verify it with Iran. Advertisement Not every part of the report is so bleak, however. The inspectors also found that Iran is having trouble operating the centrifuges in the unranium-enrichment facility at Natanz. Israeli and U.S. officials are mad at IAEA chief Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, who time after time has been willing to fall into the Iranian trap. But the truth is that he has few options. The organization is a reflection of the international community. Its formulations - combining diplomatic and technical language - must satisfy the contrasting interests of the West, Russia and China, and the bloc of non-aligned countries, while being professionally faithful to what its inspectors discover. The IAEA has no independent intelligence capabilities. It has no powers of coercion; the cooperation of IAEA members is voluntary. Thus, its reports read like intelligence reports, with their "on the one hand..." and "on the other hand..." They contain everything. Both soft censure of Iran as well as praise. The anger should be directed at the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with their veto powers. They are finding it difficult to reach consensus because of numerous conflicts of interest. Russia and China refuse to impose on Iran meaningful sanctions that might persuade its hard-line leadership into concluding that the benefits of working to acquire nuclear weapons are outweighed by economic losses. But that is not happening and it will not happen. Russia and China will continue to conduct a different and even adversarial foreign policy toward the U.S. and the EU. In any case, why should complaints be directed against Moscow and Beijing if U.S. intelligence, in its enormous stupidity two months ago, gave Iran a "character reference" when it determined that Iran had frozen its military nuclear plans in 2003. In the absence of international concensus, Iran will continue to mock and play for time. Israel's intelligence assessment has not changed. Within one and a half to two years Iran will have a nuclear weapon, unless it is stopped. In other words, the new report contains little that is new. It only moves up the deadline by which the Israeli leadership must decide whether to attack Iran's nuclear sites. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Deadly shelling B'Tselem slams IDF decision not to indict troops over errant strike that left 21 civilians dead. Reaching boiling point Gaza residents are told to boil drinking water as purifying chlorine runs out.   1.   iran and israel 02:33  |  jim wynn 24/02/08   2.   to 1. jim wynn 04:14  |  arthur 24/02/08   3.   What about Israel`s Nuclear Warheads??? 04:35  |  J. Schaefer 24/02/08   4.   Hey Dude! 04:55  |  Genuine Tosefta 24/02/08   5.   All people are equal 04:56  |  pal 24/02/08   6.   send the IAEA to Tel Aviv 05:03  |  geezer 24/02/08   7.   don`t threaten to bomb your neighbors 05:11  |  geezer 24/02/08   8.   Trying to give a dead warenstine monster a blow job 05:33  |  Mark Lincoln 24/02/08   9.   the big difference 05:36  |  jorge luis 24/02/08   10.   Go To GOOGLE: Missing Soviet Nukes In Iran 05:43  |  Prophet 24/02/08   11.   pal - Not all societies and values are equal 06:14  |  Gina 24/02/08   12.   Sanctions will not stop Iran 06:29  |  Shalom Freedman 24/02/08   13.   All ppl r equal 06:46  |  bob 24/02/08   14.   Israels nuclear weapons 07:25  |  Natallie Durson 24/02/08   15.   NATALLIE DURSON 08:16  |  newsaddict 24/02/08   16.   Iran wants to buy more time 08:19  |  Millie 24/02/08   17.   Israeli Terror and Nuclear Weapons 08:50  |  Paxman 24/02/08   18.   TO MILLIE #16 08:51  |  J. Schaefer 24/02/08   19.   Iran inching closer to own demise 09:19  |  don 24/02/08   20.   Schaefer proving our point 11:16  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 24/02/08   21.   Have a bloody go.. you strutting nation of punks 11:23  |  Clickfool 24/02/08   22.   Yup! 11:29  |  Joe 24/02/08   23.   Hi nat remember hitler? 11:54  |  Scott 24/02/08   24.   Iran uses same tactics Israel uses to delay dealing with settlers 12:16  |  Michael 24/02/08   25.   Another pathetic, strutting Zionist punk # 17 12:23  |  Clickfool 24/02/08   26.   Step out of the square, Millie # 16 12:32  |  Clickfool 24/02/08   27.   To 15 Natallie & Clickfool. Non proliferation 12:38  |  Altalena 24/02/08   28.   This article is full of gibberish 12:39  |  Rowan Berkeley 24/02/08   29.   Try again Gina 12:59  |  pal 24/02/08   30.   Bob the gambler 13:02  |  pal 24/02/08   31.   Follow up on Clickfool 13:09  |  pal 24/02/08   32.   For Altalena # 27 13:30  |  Clickfool 24/02/08   33.   To 32 Clickfool. Iran & the International community 14:07  |  Altalena 24/02/08   34.   The ME Twins at it again 15:21  |  Kris 24/02/08   35.   Iran Should Be Taken at its Word 17:52  |  MIKE 24/02/08   36.   clickfool 19:23  |  kishkes 24/02/08   37.   of course. don`t fall for it. bomb them. now. 19:51  |  frenz 24/02/08   38.   So far so good. 22:18  |  ManInTheMiddle 24/02/08   39.   Uran and Isreal and wipe off the map. 05:29  |  John Williams 25/02/08   40.   Every Mullah Gets a Ph.D in lying! 04:44  |  Yuri 26/02/08   41.   Nonsense Analysis of Iran Nuclear Tech 09:30  |  Shawn 26/02/08   42.   send this article to "text jocke" u will win somthing 22:06  |  benyamin 28/02/08

Today Online IDF kills 18, including 5 children, in Gaza, West Bank Responses: 220 Barak: Large-scale Gaza operation is 'real and tangible' Responses: 110 Editorial: Decision on Gaza operation should be daring and level-headed Responses: 55 Abbas: I oppose armed struggle, but won't rule it out for future Responses: 79 Pro-Israel evangelical leader Hagee endorses McCain Responses: 52 Rosner's Domain Battle of Ohio: from James Garfield to Hillary Clinton Can Obama restore the Black-Jewish alliance? Poll: Your solution for the situation in Gaza Why is Farrakhan the litmus test for black politicians? (WTR) Iran Could Have Enough Uranium for a Bomb by Year's End (WTR) More Headlines 21:36 IDF kills 18 Palestinians in Gaza, W. Bank, including 5 children 22:26 Grad rocket fired from Gaza scores direct hit on Ashkelon home 20:43 Egypt plans to provide all of Gaza's electricity 19:03 Barak: Wide ground operation in Gaza is 'real and tangible' 21:27 Shin Bet arrests female terrorist suspect, 17, from East Jerusalem 21:09 Report: Chelsea fans hurl anti-Semitic abuse at coach Grant 22:05 U.K. officials: Prince Harry serving on front line in Afghanistan 21:43 Teenage Egyptian Bedouin girl shot to death near Israeli border 14:28 Abbas: I oppose armed struggle, but won't rule out option for future 13:10 Katsav indicted on watered-down charges after sex crime plea deal 14:01 Jewish school may forfeit basketball playoffs over Sabbath game Previous Editions Select Day 27 feb 26 feb 25 feb 24 feb 22 feb 21 feb 20 feb 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb 15 feb 14 feb

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