(Telegraph-UK) John Keegan - Saddam merely pretended to have weapons of mass destruction, largely to feed his own fantasies of power. Iran is actually turning itself into a nuclear weapons state. Iran wants them for practical purposes, including, according to its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to "wipe Israel from the map." Iran's record must cause not only the West but all Iran's neighbors to take the threat seriously. What is to be done when a report to the Security Council fails to bring Iran to desist from nuclear enrichment? While the interruption of trade and the supply of technical equipment would cause Iran's government serious inconvenience, it is much more doubtful whether sanctions would make Iran change its policy. America and the EU3 must therefore consider other, harsher methods to restrain Iran, while mindful that Iran, as the possessor of the second largest oil reserves in the world and occupier of a strategic position athwart the sea routes delivering oil to most of the consuming world, has its own means of retaliation ready at hand.
2006-01-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive