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Iran and Nuclear Proliferation, 11/1/07
Key Lecture Points:
• In 2002, Iran announced to the world that it had discovered uranium reserves. That same year a Paris-based Iranian resistance group notified international authorities that Iran had been constructing two nuclear facilities without notifying the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since this time, a “nuclear crisis” has erupted on the global stage, with the US, among other countries, accusing Iran of developing a nuclear weapon in secret.
• The EU-3 (France, UK, Germany) have been negotiating with Iran, on and off, since 2003. Initially, Iran suspended uranium enrichment as a token of good faith for the negotiations. In spring 2006, Iran resumed enrichment, leading the EU-3 to agree with the US on the matter of UN sanctions. The UN Security Council has since issued Resolution 1737 in December 2006 and Resolution 1747 in March 2007. Both resolutions imposed sanctions on Iran for its failure to cease enrichment Talks about a third round of sanctions are underway (in November 2007) among representatives of the UN Security Council.
• Iran maintains that it is not developing a nuclear weapon and that its uranium enrichment program is for civilian purposes only. In October 2007, Mohammed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated, "I have not received any information that there is a concrete active nuclear weapons program going on right now." Skeptics, however, argue that the IAEA has never had full access to what was, until 2002, a secret program. A new IAEA report is due out in mid-November, and it will likely comment on Iran’s compliance with IAEA guidelines.
• Since early 2007, the nuclear issue has begun to be rolled together with another issue that is also causing tension between the US and Iran. Iran, the US argues, is secretly supporting radical militant Shi’a groups in Iraq that are fighting against US troops. While some see these two issues as justification for further action against Iran (military or diplomatic), others suggest that evidence is far from conclusive and that the US is looking for any reason to confront Iran.
Exploration Questions:
• Given that the west has involved itself in Iranian affairs in the past, what tack can the US take diplomatically to confront Iran today?
• In what ways has the Iraq war complicated efforts to confront Iran over its nuclear program?
Reflective Question:
• Have you ever traveled to Iran in your lifetime? If so, descripbe what the country was like at that point and how it appears different today.
For More Information:
• IAEA coverage of Iran: http://www.iaea.or.at/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml
• BBC News coverage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4662676.stm
• CIA World Factbook on Iran: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ir.html
Books For Further Reading:
• Jafarzadeh, Alireza. The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Threat. Palgrave MacMillan, 2007. 284 pages.
Description: With access to dissident groups inside Iran, the author traces President Ahmadinejad’s from his radical roots to his impact on Iran’ s weapons program. He reveals new details on Iran’ s involvement in Iraq and its broader goals for the future of the Middle East.
Click here to order.
• Ritter, Scott. Target Iran: The Truth about the White House’s Plans for Regime Change. Nation Books, 2006. 228 pages.
Description: This book offers Ritter's "national intelligence assessment" of the Iranian imbroglio. He examines the Bush administration's regime-change policy and the potential of Iran to threaten U.S. national security interests. The author also considers how the country is seen by other interested parties.
Click here to order.
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