Susan Rice, President Obama's new Ambassador the United Nations and a member of the cabinet, today for the first time spoke publicly about the Iran nuclear issue. During the long campaign for the presidency, President Obama repeatedly vowed to begin negotiations, to talk to Iran (even as he backpedaled on tea with President Ahmadinejad), "without preconditions" as he put it. Obama recognized that the failed Bush policy of only agreeing to talks with Iran if they first agreed to what the desired outcome of the negotiations would be for the U.S. (i.e. if they mothballed their uranium enrichment program), had produced no results, and his pledge to change directions had been met with some enthusiasm in Tehran.
However, this from Susan Rice:
The new US ambassador to the UN said Monday that Washington was committed to direct, "vigorous" diplomacy with Iran over its suspect nuclear program but warned Tehran of increased pressure if it refuses to halt uranium enrichment.
Susan Rice told reporters that President Barack Obama's administration looked forward to "engaging in vigorous diplomacy that includes direct diplomacy with Iran, as well as continued collaboration and partnership with" the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.""We will look at what is necessary and appropriate with respect to maintaining pressure toward that goal of ending Iran's nuclear program," she added following her meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon to present her credentials.
"Dialogue and diplomacy must go hand in hand with a very firm message from the United States and the international community that Iran needs to meet its obligations as defined by the Security Council and its continued refusal to do so will only cause pressure to increase," Rice added.
And this from the AP on our very own Huffington Post:
But U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice warned that Iran must meet U.N. Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment before any talks on its nuclear program.
Huh? What happened to talks with "no preconditions"? If this is indeed the Obama doctrine on Iran, then I'm afraid it will, as it has in the past, get us absolutely nowhere with the Iranians. Iran has repeatedly said it will not accept any preconditions for talks, and has repeatedly said it will not suspend uranium enrichment. And the U.S. has to stop pretending that Iran's refusal to abide by Security Council resolutions makes them a rogue state, as if none of our allies have ever refused to comply with UN resolutions (242 anyone?). If the Obama administration is serious about working towards a solution to the Iran problem, it might want to reconsider its approach at the U.N., a place, incidentally, where Ms. Rice can simply walk down a hall and have a chat with the Iranian ambassador anytime she wants.
That sounds like no preconditi
Demonizing and warmongeri
Unlike Iran, Israel simply has too much to hide and wants to keep it that way.
When is Israel going to sign the NNPT which Iran has done?
When is Israel goint to allow IAEA inspection
The US and Israel wans Iranian nuclear transparen
US silence about Israeli nuclear weapons and lack of membership to the NPT while maintainin
Israel has its own nuclear arsenals and they are the biggest recipient of our aid in the world. The world has condemned Israeli behavior with almost 200 UN resolution
Why is Israel, a rogue nuclear state allowed to lay waste to every internatio
Good news? There will be when the US recognizes a two-state solution, a separation between Israel and this one, the United States.
Your WAY off base here. Israel is not a "rogue" state. Israel has not pre-emptiv
The reason we defend Israel is four fold :
1.) The are stewards of our most precious and rare Christian holy sites. If anything were to happen to these sites, Americans and the western world would not ask alot of questions they would demand retaliatio
2.) We gave our word to defend them after World War II when they were freed from the holocaust. You know the part where the Germans were gasing them at 50,000 a day ?
3.) They are our link to intelligen
4.) They are an ally in trade and world affairs for the future of American interests.
As to your other points:
1) Not really true. Americans might go ballistic, but Europe has pretty much gone agnostic over the last 50 years. And those sites were not threatened when the Ottomans ruled there, nor when the Palestinan
2) Never happened. (The whole unconditio
3) Possibly true, about the intelligen
4) You really think they put our interests ahead of theirs?
Well, there you have it. The USA offering lip service and thinking the world won't notice that all it is offering is more of the same. Iran will not end it's nuclear program. Until the US government understand
They didn't say Iran must halt enrichment before talks could commence. In fact they said they are ready to talk. Halting enrichment was another sentence and not linked to talks.
I mean really, are you married, or in a committed relationsh
Yep. That should just about do it.
DenverJJ
Wow! What have you been reading? Relax. the population is NOT " waiting for the next regime change".
I'm afraid that like most westerners
Women in Iran constitute a majority of University students (60%) including Law, Medicine, and the Sciences.
The divorce rate in Iran is equal to that in the US - and most divorces are initiated by women.
Unlike the women in our "moderate" ally Saudi Arabia, they can actually do things like drive and vote.
Actually the govenment of Iran just today introduced its next year's budjet to the parliament and it is based on the price of $37.00 a barrel of oil. So, your prediction is false. Also, if he is "dumped", i.e. not re-elelcte
Sorry to disabuse you of your wishful thinking..
My true Commander-
We, the United States of America, have more than 10,000 nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to anywhere in the entire Solar System and we are telling Iran that it can have none.
1.) Iran has a public sign above their Customs Office adjacent to their government building that reads, "...ISRAEL THE EVIL WILL BE OBLITERATE
This pretty much characteri
Before Iran gets nuclear capability to launch an ICBM that could reach Israel, the rest of the world will approve destructio
2.) After Obama proves to the world that Tehran has no intention of ever reaching or pursuing any fundamenta
But regarding the future, let us wait and see.
1. Even if such a sign exists, it belongs to the immediate aftermath of the revolution
2. the "One reason"...
israel is still licking its wounds from its defeat by Hamas just a week ago.
3. my suggestion