I'm thinking this is as close to an ultimatum that has been uttered towards the Iranians to date by the U.S. government as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton passed the following message on to the Russians to deliver to the Iranians:
The United States asked Russia to send Iran a message that the upcoming round of nuclear talks is its last chance to avoid a military confrontation this year, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported Wednesday according to a diplomatic source.
Now, the title of his blogpost is a little misleading because I'm thinking that Hillary is referring to ISRAELI military action against Iran by the end of the year. But I do like the fact that Hillary is sending the message - I can just hear the mullahs fuming in their little chambers today as some "woman" has the nerve to threaten them.
At the same time, we have to consider the fact that the Obama administration is desperate for some sort of halt to the Iranian plans soon because if Israel has to embark on a mission against Iranian nukes and Obama is forced into some sort of action to lend support, his precious re-election bid could be in real trouble....you know, it's hard to get that anti-war base of yours up and on the streets working hard for you when you are seen sending off wave after wave of bombers and fighter jets.
The story is from The Jerusalem Post.
'US warns Iran: Accede or be attacked'
The United States asked Russia to send Iran a message that the upcoming round of nuclear talks is its last chance to avoid a military confrontation this year, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported Wednesday according to a diplomatic source.
The unusually stark warning by the US was passed on by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, after the two met in New York on Monday, the diplomatic source told the Russian newspaper.
The source said pressure from Jerusalem on Washington was forcing the latter to support a military option within the year in order to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.
"The invasion will happen before the year's end," the source told Kommersant. "The Israelis are, in effect, blackmailing Obama: either he supports the war, or he risks losing the support [of the Jewish lobby]" the year of US presidential elections.
Israel and the US have said all options are on the table for dealing with Iran's nuclear program, though both countries have highlighted the importance of seeking a diplomatic solution before any military option is considered.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though diplomats in the UN's nuclear watchdog say recent intelligence indicates otherwise.
On Tuesday, Iran rejected claims that it was attempting to clean up radioactive traces possibly left over from covert nuclear work at its Parachin military site.
The P5+1 - a group of Iran mediators that includes the permanent UN Security Council members and Germany - received a letter earlier this month from Tehran which indicated that Iran sought to resume international discussions at the earliest opportunity.
The diplomatic source said talks between Tehran and the international group will take place in April, when the P5+1 wants Iran to clarify details surrounding its nuclear program.
The US wants Tehran to understand that these talks represent the Islamic Republic's last chance to avoid a military confrontation with the West over its nuclear program, according to the report.
No comments:
Post a Comment