Israel Matzav

Iran getting worried?

Is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad getting worried about an Israeli attack on his nuclear facilities? Well, it sure sounds like it. On Wednesday, Iran announced that it will introduce a resolution at the 150-nation IAEA meeting in September that will seek to ban attacks on nuclear facilities 'anywhere in the world.' Obviously, Iran is specifically worried about their own facilities being targeted by Israel.

Iran says the proposal, revealed to The Associated Press by diplomats and confirmed by a senior Iranian envoy, is not linked to veiled threats by Israel of an attack as a last resort if the international community fails to persuade Tehran to freeze its nuclear activities.

Instead, all of the diplomats said the Iranian initiative seeks support for a generally worded document prohibiting all armed attacks against nuclear installations anywhere, when 150 nations convene for the September general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"We are not worried about Israel," said Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's chief envoy to the IAEA. "Nobody dares to do anything against Iran."

He said an Iranian resolution will seek a worldwide ban on such attacks as "a matter of principle."

"I think this is an urgent concern for all of the international community," he said. "All member states will support the idea."

Maybe. But....

The IAEA's general conference already passed a resolution in September 1990 entitled "Prohibition of All Armed Attacks Against Nuclear Installations Devoted to Peaceful Purposes Whether Under Construction or in Operation."

But Soltanieh, who said his country was a key architect of that document, said a fresh resolution was called for because "nuclear installations all over the world are increasing and any sort of threatening attacks ... will have radiological consequences all over the world."

But Israeli warplanes have attacked nuclear sites before, and Iran appeared to be trying to ramp up diplomatic pressure on the Jewish state in hopes of reducing the chances of an attack.

Maybe a new resolution is 'necessary' because Iran's facilities are not devoted to peaceful purposes?

Squirm, you worms!

Heh!

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:05 AM