Iran Rejects Russian Offer
It’s getting very near to put up or shut up time for the Russian diplomatic corps. Russia has made it clear it apposes strong action against Iran, but Iran has returned this largesse with a slap to the face:
Iran said Sunday it has rejected a Russian proposal to enrich uranium on its behalf, closing the door on an option that offered a possible diplomatic solution to international concerns over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The Russian proposal is not on our agenda any more,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters on the sidelines of a Tehran conference on energy and security Sunday.
There are signs that the futility of negotiating with Tehran is beginning to impress itself upon the Russians:
A prominent Russian lawmaker said Iran is hurting its case before the Security Council, which is due to receive a report from IAEA director Mohammad ElBaradei. The decision “destroys the last and real possibility of a compromise,” said Konstantin Kosachyov, who chairs the international affairs committee of the Duma.
“By all accounts, Tehran’s decision will seriously radicalize the upcoming debates over the IAEA report in the U.N. Security Council, since trust in Tehran’s plans and ambitions has been strongly undermined,” Kosachyov said, according to the Interfax news agency. Russia’s foreign ministry said it would respond after receiving formal word from Iran of its rejection.
President Bush says he prefers a diplomatic solution, as well, an unsurprising stance considering the obvious obstacles to military action. Unfortunately for all of us, Tehran has made it clear that the only diplomatic solution would be complete acquiescence to its nuclear ambitions. I see no solutions to this problem on the horizon…
[...] Russia warned that Iran’s tough position could “radicalise the nature of the UN Security Council debate”. The five permanent members – Britain, the US, France, Russia and China – have been struggling to agree on a unified position before talks widen to include the full 15-member council later this week. The dispute was referred to the UN by the International Atomic Energy Agency last week after Tehran refused to comply with demands made by the IAEA. [...]