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A significant yet unsurprising report by Reuters on May 24 revealed that the United States is actively opposing a European-led resolution ahead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting on Iran. This resolution seeks to censure the Iranian regime for its perilous nuclear advancements and failure to cooperate with the IAEA. The U.S. opposition to this resolution has sparked a debate over the potential motivations behind such an appeasement strategy, particularly amidst growing concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the international community’s efforts to curtail them.
Iran’s nuclear program has been a subject of international scrutiny and concern for more than 20 years. Decades-long negotiations, lucrative incentive packages, security guarantees, political and economic concessions, and meetings at all levels have failed to bring the regime into compliance with international treaties. Instead, Tehran has persistently advanced its nuclear capabilities. Furthermore, Tehran’s public claims of its program being “for peaceful and scientific purposes” are contradicted by its consistent non-compliance and obstruction.
The regime’s cat-and-mouse game with the UN nuclear watchdog, including obstructing its monitoring capabilities, demolishing nuclear sites before inspection, refusing to clarify suspicious traces in locations requested by the IAEA, and obfuscating evidence of nuclear activities, speaks volumes about Tehran’s disregard for international treaties and global efforts to safeguard peace and security. Reports by the IAEA, as well as numerous think tanks and professional study groups, highlight hundreds of instances of Iran’s duplicity.
Contrary to what some Iran apologists suggest, Iranian officials have admitted that the regime has continued its nuclear program clandestinely, even as the world believed it had halted its activities under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
NCRI Editorial:
Send #Iran’s Nuclear Dossier to the United Nations Security Councilhttps://t.co/h0H6dd8b7W pic.twitter.com/QKfU2JJYdi— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 2, 2022
The Iranian Resistance, notably the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has long been a vocal critic of the regime’s nuclear ambitions. The NCRI has persistently warned the international community about Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities and has provided critical intelligence on the regime’s illicit advancements. A timeline provided by the NCRI outlines numerous revelations over the years that have exposed the dimensions of Iran’s nuclear sites and underground facilities. These revelations have often preempted official reports from international bodies, underscoring the resistance’s significant role in highlighting the regime’s nuclear threat. The NCRI’s disclosures have been pivotal in keeping the global community informed about the true extent of Iran’s nuclear program, often prompting further inspections and investigations by the IAEA.
Citing the regime’s uranium enrichment levels above 60% and its use of highly advanced centrifuges, experts and world leaders have speculated on how close Iran is to acquiring nuclear weapons. However, there has been a failure to outline what actions need to be taken to prevent it. While the US has persistently reiterated its determination to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, its actions have often undermined this goal. The opposition to the European-led resolution is a case in point.
The Iranian regime not only refuses to cooperate with the agency but also actively disrupts its verification processes.
the initial step to prevent a terrorist and belligerent regime from acquiring an atomic bomb is to activate the snapback mechanism and ensure the full… pic.twitter.com/5wcJ1PkPJ4— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) December 1, 2023
Historical evidence suggests that appeasement has never led to compliance from the Iranian regime. Instead, it has only emboldened Tehran to further its nuclear ambitions. The regime has demonstrated a pattern of leveraging negotiations and international leniency to buy time and advance its nuclear capabilities.
Recent statements and actions by the Iranian regime indicate that Tehran is already justifying its status as a nuclear threshold state. Officials frequently use state media to suggest that Iran might change its nuclear doctrine, that the Supreme Leader’s fatwa prohibiting nuclear bombs is subject to revision, or even hint that Tehran already possesses a nuclear weapon and prefers to remain silent about it. This rhetoric aligns perfectly with Iran’s history of atomic blackmail, encouraged by the weak response it receives from the West.
Two decades of persistence in advancing its nuclear program, feet-dragging in negotiations, violation of JCPOA commitments, and deceiving the IAEA have met with an indefatigable, indestructible, and inexhaustible pursuit by the West to achieve what they never will: getting Tehran to forgo its strategic survival mechanism.
If two decades of failed policy can’t help Western capitals understand the devastating consequences of their wishful thinking, perhaps the economic instability and socio-political consequences arising from four decades of unabated Islamist fundamentalism indicate what a nuclear-armed Iran can unleash.
