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Last update - 09:54 28/02/2008 Iran's great victory By Reuven Pedatzur Tags: Mohamed ElBaradei, Iran  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated his nation earlier this week for its "great victory" following the release of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report last Friday, and for good reason. The "great [Iranian] nation's" perseverance enabled the government to do everything to restore Iran's rights in the nuclear energy field, in both national and international arenas, he said. Ahmadinejad had someone he could count on when, with a broad smile, he called on the United States to apologize to Iran and even compensate it for America's "errors." Advertisement IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei played into the Iranians' hands again. Not only did he help their president to celebrate in Tehran, he also gave them another extension on their way to completing their nuclear weapons development. Once again, as expected, ElBaradei missed the opportunity to unite the international community around the efforts to prevent Iran's nuclearization. ElBaradei continued to use evasive language in the periodical report on Iran he released at the end of last week. He adamantly refuses to state the obvious. Referring to Iran's simulations and experiments with high-impact explosives and planned ballistic missile warheads, ElBaradei writes that there is no indication linking these activities to "nuclear materials." The IAEA cannot therefore reach a clear decision about the Iranian nuclear program's character, he writes. In other words, it is clear even to ElBaradei that Iran is concealing, misleading and ignoring the Security Council's resolutions, yet he refrains from stating explicitly that it is developing nuclear arms. It is clear that the Iranians have no reason or need to develop advanced explosive missile heads unless they intend to equip them with nuclear weapons. It is also obvious that there is no connection between developing energy for peaceful purposes and the Green Salt Project. This allegedly secretive project, which Iran has been working on for years and which the CIA told the IAEA about, consists of an explicit design for nuclear bombs. Unfortunately ElBaradei's convoluted, problematic report received moral support from the American intelligence community in December, which said among other things that Iran had already abandoned the nuclear weapons component in its development programs in 2003. It makes no difference that the U.S. director of National Intelligence, J. Michael McConnell, recently admitted he had been wrong in Congress, making it clear that he regretted the way the report had been presented. McConnell said the intelligence community had erred, and that Iran was advancing on the most complicated part in nuclear production, the bomb, producing fuel based on enriched uranium. Well said, but too late. Thus, the rear-guard action that the Bush administration is trying to lead now focuses on the attempt to draft a Security Council resolution for another round of sanctions against Iran - a move doomed to fail as the attempts to persuade Iran to back down from its nuclear program failed. "Time is against us," U.S. Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad said this week. Two previous rounds of sanctions, in December 2006 and last March, failed to bring a change in Iran's nuclear policy. Britain and France have now presented the Security Council with a resolution proposal for additional sanctions, including restricting cargo to and from Iran, imposing a travel ban on Iranians visiting selected countries, confiscating assets of people involved in Iran's nuclear program, and tightening supervision over Iranian financial institutions. Even if Russia and China do not object, as expected, and the Security Council adopts the proposal, it is doubtful whether this would unduly upset the Iranians. The conclusion is that if during the coming year - by the end of George Bush's term - the American president does not order a military operation against Iran's nuclear sites, it is doubtful whether it would be possible to prevent Iran from turning into a nuclear state. Jerusalem must start getting used to this and prepare for a "new Middle East." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Power to the people Egypt plans to provide all of Gaza's electricity, to wean dependency on Israel. Calculated escalation Hamas has been trying for some time to create a balance of deterrence with Israel.   1.   And what is this "new Middle East"? 10:27  |  Clickfool 28/02/08   2.   Clickfool 10:57  |  Omar 28/02/08   3.   ELBARADEI IS A PROFESSIONAL 11:10  |  indrajaya 28/02/08   4.   Great article 11:26  |  Axel 28/02/08   5.   cfool whats new in the UK ?"Osama Bin London" more terrorists 12:25  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   6.   Israel is The Only Regime Opposed to Nuke Free Middle East 12:56  |  Mr. Know-it-all 28/02/08   7.   I see Peter SM likes MEMRI`s Zionist propaganda # 5 12:58  |  Clickfool 28/02/08   8.   INDRAJAYA. PROFESSIONALS ARE INCORRUPTIBLE? 12:58  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   9.   peter sm 13:35  |  Axel 28/02/08   10.   #1 Clickfool - no vision of your future? 13:36  |  Sarah 28/02/08   11.   Prophecy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoken in 1980 13:38  |  Translator 28/02/08   12.   Axel (4) me, I wouldn´t be so triumphant sitting in 14:14  |  Karl 28/02/08   13.   The International community "erred"! No way. 14:22  |  Stephen. 28/02/08   14.   Olmert and Livni guaranty for Iranian victory 14:23  |  Jonathan S 28/02/08   15.   To #10 Israels discomfort 14:26  |  oetis 28/02/08   16.   Sarah (10), about CFool´s darlings the religious madness 14:28  |  Karl 28/02/08   17.   MAD again? 14:49  |  Pietro 28/02/08   18.   CLICKFOOL No 1 14:59  |  chasaboy 28/02/08   19.   # 10 sarah 15:30  |  Axel 28/02/08   20.   MEMRI 16:46  |  marbpl 28/02/08   21.   clickfool/memri 18:30  |  dlb 28/02/08   22.   Iran`s stated policy is to be a "screwdriver away" from... 18:32  |  ManInTheMiddle 28/02/08   23.   #10. What`s in it for Iran? 19:29  |  ManInTheMiddle 28/02/08   24.   AXEL .CFOOLs post raised the issue of more radical Islam 21:56  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   25.   KNOWALL.Do M.E. oppose ALL weapons of mass destruction? 22:02  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   26.   CFOOL shooting the messenger does not change the message 22:32  |  PETER SM 28/02/08   27.   Clickfool`s delusions of grandeur... 16:56  |  DR 29/02/08   28.   #8. PETER SM, like the american and israel government? 12:13  |  VIPER 01/03/08   29.   #27, DR, stop talking BS, as you always do 12:21  |  VIPER 01/03/08

Today Online 27 Palestinians dead, 5 soldiers hurt in Gaza clashes Responses: 151 Barak: Hamas will pay for its escalation in the south Responses: 423 Aanalysis: Uncompromising Hamas is in trouble Responses: 219 Bradley Burston: True Islam will spell defeat for the Jihadists Responses: 95 When McCain and Obama face off, Israel may find itself in the eye of the storm Responses: 117 German Jewish leader urges Merkel to back Israel's stance on Iran Responses: 52 More Headlines 12:27 27 Palestinians killed, 5 IDF soldiers hurt in Gaza 11:52 Two people wounded as rockets strike Ashkelon residential area 08:38 Ban: Hezbollah hindering talks on prisoner swap 04:58 Hezbollah says not intimidated by U.S. warship deployment 19:38 Barak: Hamas will pay for its escalation in the south 12:16 Jerusalem & Babylon / Ignoring Durban summit not an option 07:53 Israeli tennis star Peer upset in semifinals of Memphis tourney 06:21 UN Security Council vote on fresh Iran sanctions delayed until Monday 21:22 Woman who said was saved from Nazis by wolves admits fabrications 17:31 Court rejects petition against ban on Habash memorial rally Previous Editions Select Day 29 feb 28 feb 27 feb 26 feb 25 feb 24 feb 22 feb 21 feb 20 feb 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb

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