Las Vegas Sun

June 4, 2012

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Sun editorial:

Stand tough against Iran

President should marshal support to oppose country’s rogue missile, nuclear programs

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 | 2:07 a.m.

Iran opens talks with the United States and several other world powers this week in what will be a test of international resolve to confront a very real and growing threat.

Last week the United States, France and Britain announced that Iran was operating a top-secret facility to produce enriched uranium that could be used in a nuclear weapon. Iran’s response? It thumbed its nose at the world. To cap it off, the country staged missile tests Sunday and Monday with weapons that reportedly are capable of reaching Israel and Europe.

This is disturbing. Led by an irrational and unstable regime, Iran threatens to undermine what little stability there is in the Middle East, particularly with its repeated vitriolic threats toward Israel.

There are signs that Iran may try to escalate the conflict. After the turmoil that the country faced over the fraud found in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent reelection, Ahmadinejad may believe that a crisis with world superpowers could help the regime regain legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens.

President Barack Obama’s administration is considering tougher sanctions against Iran, which would certainly be a good step. The New York Times reported Monday that Ahmadinejad privately said he would “warmly welcome” such action, claiming that such sanctions would help his country become more self-sufficient.

Iran, though, is far from self-sufficient. It has close economic ties with Russia and China, both parties to this week’s talks. Unfortunately, neither Russia nor China has shown any interest in imposing harsher sanctions.

That could create a serious problem. Without severe economic sanctions, the international community has little leverage to negotiate an end to Iran’s nuclear program.

Russia and China should come together with the United States and its allies on this issue. Iran poses a serious threat to the world’s security. Its nuclear program must be stopped.

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