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Iran Exploits Diplomacy to Advance Its Nuclear Program
(Boston Globe) Yehuda Yaakov - The Iranian regime is bent on acquiring a nuclear weapon, and will take full advantage of diplomacy toward this end if allowed to do so, including this week's talks in Baghdad. Indeed, the Iranian strategy of exploiting diplomacy to further advance the nuclear program is a matter of regime policy. In both October 2003 and November 2004 the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK hammered out agreements they hoped would resolve the crisis. But Tehran reneged both times on its commitment to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency. In late 2004, Hassan Rohani, then secretary of Iran's National Security Council and head of its nuclear portfolio, exposed Tehran's strategy. In a speech to the Iranian parliament, Rohani admitted that Iran took advantage of these agreements to advance the uranium enrichment process, assemble centrifuges, and manufacture their parts. The writer is a career Israeli diplomat specializing in nuclear non-proliferation.