Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Rejects United Nations Sanctions Against Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures while standing under a huge picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, June 3, 2006. Iran’s reply to a big power offer of incentives to end sensitive nuclear work asks for a timeline to implement the package and specifics on security arrangements, two Iranian experts said in a Web site report on Thursday.

Reuters: Russia rejects sanctions against Iran

Russia on Friday rejected any talk for now of sanctions against Iran and France warned against conflict with Tehran, raising doubt whether it will face swift penalties for not halting nuclear work by an August 31 deadline.

Responding to an offer of economic incentives to stop enriching uranium, Iran hinted to six world powers on Tuesday it could curb its program as a result of talks to implement the package — but not as a precondition as they demand.

The reply seemed designed to crack the ramshackle united front of four Western powers and Russia and China behind the U.N. Security Council deadline. The West sees Iran’s nuclear work as a looming threat to peace. Russia and China do not.

“I know of no instances in world practice and previous experience in which sanctions have achieved their aim and proved effective,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters during a trip to Russia’s far east.

“Moreover, I believe that the question is not so serious at the moment for the U.N. Security Council or the group of six to consider any introduction of sanctions. Russia stands for further political and diplomatic efforts to settle the issue.”

No surprise here. Russia and China will NEVER support economic or any other meaningful United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran. Both countries are either dependent on either oil or oil revenues for their economies and they will NOT cut off their economies in spite of the United States and Israel.

So, what should the United States do?

NOTHING

The P-5-Plus-1 proposal is DEAD because Iran does NOT agree to a halt in uranium enrichment. No carrots for Iran.

Direct negotiations between the United States and Iran over their nuclear program, the Iraq War and other matters is OVER before they even started since Iran will NOT agree to a halt in uranium enrichment.

The United States should VETO any United Nations Security Resolution that does not impose meaningful economic, trade, travel sanctions against Iran for NOT stopping uranium enrichment, providing Iran misses the August 31 UNSC deadline.

Charles Krauthammer has The Perils Of Using ‘The Allies’

Realistically speaking, the point of this multilateral exercise cannot be to stop Iran’s nuclear program by diplomacy. That has always been a fantasy. It will take military means. There would be terrible consequences from an attack. These must be weighed against the terrible consequences of allowing an openly apocalyptic Iranian leadership to acquire weapons of genocide.

The point of the current elaborate exercise in multilateral diplomacy is to slightly alter that future calculation. By demonstrating extraordinary forbearance and accommodation, perhaps we will have purchased the acquiescence of our closest allies — Britain, Germany and, yes, France — to a military strike on that fateful day when diplomacy has run its course.

Israel is prepared to go it alone against Iran.

So, should the United States.

No more talks – PREPARE THE MILITARY DETERRENCE AND MISSILE DEFENSE.