Almost a month ago, I commented on President Obama's delinquency in imposing sanctions on Iran for its refusal to negotiate an end to its nuclear program. The deadline was supposed to be January 1, 2010. There still have been no sanctions imposed. While the U.S. has done nothing, Iran has:
1. Said that it has no intention of allowing Russia or France to receive its nuclear material, and return it to them in a form that can be used for medical or other non-military purposes.
2. Has launched a missile in as part of its emerging "space program" that can be tipped with a nuclear payload.
3. Has assured the world that it has begun to enrich uranium to beyond 20%, a level that is obviously consistent with a nuclear weapons program.
Meanwhile, President Obama announces that it remains his policy to pursue a dual-track policy toward Iran, which includes seeking international sanctions while being open to negotiations. Hillary Clinton has, of course said that the purpose of sanctions would be to force Iran into negotiations. Very simply, this means that there is only a single track being pursued, and that is negotiation.
Where will the sanctions, if any (if ever), come from? Not the U.N. Security Council. China will veto it. From NATO? Only France, the U.K., and Germany would be interested, and without Russia signing on to a serious set of sanctions (which is unlikely), any sanctions President Obama achieves may be puny.
Of course, the government of Israel is watching closely. They have said that their expectation is that any sanctions imposed would be "crippling" to Iran.
We continue to watch and wait .
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