Saturday, January 14, 2006
Losing Patience with Iran's Regime
As an ADL supporter, we wanted to update you on the latest developments regarding the Iranian threat.
This week, the Iranian nuclear crisis entered a new phase. Germany, France and Britain - the three European Union states that have been trying to persuade Iran to abide by its legal obligations - have run out of patience. They want to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for a vote imposing sanctions.
The German Foreign Minister said that negotiations had reached “a dead end.” The plan now is to get tough.
It’s a small victory, and without your efforts to persuade world leaders of the need to take the Iranian threat seriously, we might not have come even this far. But much remains to be done to counter Iran’s aggressive stance.
The jury is out on whether sanctions, if imposed by the UN, will have the desired effect. Important countries like Russia and China, which have entered into multi-billion dollar oil and natural gas deals with the Iranian regime, are likely to oppose a hard line. Squeezing the economy of a country that holds eight percent of the world’s oil reserves isn’t going to be easy.
But sanctions will send a message to Iran’s leaders that the world knows they are a threat. And we can isolate them further by implementing the measures which ADL has called for: a travel ban, the freezing of overseas assets and the breaking of diplomatic relations.
We are in a very dangerous situation. A state that calls for Israel’s elimination, denies the Holocaust and treats America and Europe with contempt, is enriching uranium. The Iranians insist they aren’t trying to produce nuclear weapons, but it’s increasingly obvious they are lying.
At the same time, the Iranian regime is vulnerable. Internally, it faces political and ethnic strife. Externally, it faces the reproach of the entire democratic world.
ADL will continue to make sure you stay informed on this vital issue. Together, we can stand up to Iran.
This week, the Iranian nuclear crisis entered a new phase. Germany, France and Britain - the three European Union states that have been trying to persuade Iran to abide by its legal obligations - have run out of patience. They want to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for a vote imposing sanctions.
The German Foreign Minister said that negotiations had reached “a dead end.” The plan now is to get tough.
It’s a small victory, and without your efforts to persuade world leaders of the need to take the Iranian threat seriously, we might not have come even this far. But much remains to be done to counter Iran’s aggressive stance.
The jury is out on whether sanctions, if imposed by the UN, will have the desired effect. Important countries like Russia and China, which have entered into multi-billion dollar oil and natural gas deals with the Iranian regime, are likely to oppose a hard line. Squeezing the economy of a country that holds eight percent of the world’s oil reserves isn’t going to be easy.
But sanctions will send a message to Iran’s leaders that the world knows they are a threat. And we can isolate them further by implementing the measures which ADL has called for: a travel ban, the freezing of overseas assets and the breaking of diplomatic relations.
We are in a very dangerous situation. A state that calls for Israel’s elimination, denies the Holocaust and treats America and Europe with contempt, is enriching uranium. The Iranians insist they aren’t trying to produce nuclear weapons, but it’s increasingly obvious they are lying.
At the same time, the Iranian regime is vulnerable. Internally, it faces political and ethnic strife. Externally, it faces the reproach of the entire democratic world.
ADL will continue to make sure you stay informed on this vital issue. Together, we can stand up to Iran.