Editorial: Sizing up a reckless Iran

Monday, Sept. 4, 2006 | 7:44 a.m.

Iran ignored a United Nations deadline last Thursday and continued enriching uranium, sparking sharp criticism from President Bush, who said "there must be consequences" for what U.S. officials suspect is an attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

But just what those consequences will be - or even can be - remains in question. The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution in July that said Iran must stop its uranium enrichment activities by Aug. 31 or face possible sanctions. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims the enrichment process is only for generation of energy and has refused to stop.

Earlier this summer the United States, China, Britain, Germany, France and Russia proposed a deal designed to persuade Iran to cease the enrichment process, which could lead to the development of nuclear weapons.

There is reason for suspicion. A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear lookout, says that the agency has not been able to determine whether Iran's nuclear program has peaceful intentions because Iranian officials have been uncooperative in the investigation. And we must remember that Iran backed its creation, Hezbollah, in the most recent attacks on Israel. This is not a peace-minded regime.

The United States and its allies are to begin talking this week about what sanctions could be imposed on Iran. However, China and Russia supported the U.N. resolution but don't support sanctions as a way to get there. As voting members on the U.N. Security Council, the two countries can quash any efforts to impose penalties.

One international analyst told USA Today last week that possible sanctions could include a travel ban for Iranian officials, a ban on selling nuclear technology to Iran or freezing Iranian overseas investments. These measures hardly sound like the kind of penalties that would halt a regime bent on building nuclear weapons.

The United States and other nations have found themselves in a situation in which Iran has called their bluff and holds the wild card. It is not a good place to be.