America's Dilemma

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to continue talks but refuses to halt uranium enrichment.
My question is why bother?
Iran is going to continue enriching uranium. Further talks only stall the inevitable.
Can the UN and the European Union agree to sanction Iran? And will the sanctions be meaningful?

In my opinion, Iran is winning this war of wills.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned the West on Wednesday that any possible sanctions would not stop his government from enriching uranium.

"They have to know that, despite their wish, and by the grace of God and efforts of our youths, the Iranian nation will remove all obstacles and will capture the peaks of progress,'' the Iranian President said.

"It's been 27 years that they (the West) haven't allowed us to use technologies that they possess,'' Ahmadinejad said, referring to the length of time U.S. sanctions have been in place against Iran, since the 1979 hostage-taking at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

"They have to know that, despite their wish, and by the grace of God and efforts of our youths, the Iranian nation will remove all obstacles and will capture the peaks of progress,'' he said.

The fiery speech drew chants of "Death to America!'' from the crowd.



The UN Security Council will start focusing on sanctions against the Islamic republic next week, senior UN diplomats said Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Getting China and Russia to agree to sanctions is another story. In the past, both countries have stated they are against sanctioning Iran.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has rejected calls for the imposition of sanctions on Iran, saying diplomacy and negotiations could best settle Iran's nuclear case.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also refused to sanction Iran saying "a balanced approach should be explored in resolving this issue."


In other words...neither country wants to jeopardize trade and energy deals signed with Iran.

The relationship between China and Iran has been nurtured by both countries for decades, is growing exponentially now, primarily out of China's insatiable energy needs and Iran's increasing hunger for consumer goods, as the economies of both countries continue to expand.

Russia meanwhile has been selling Iran nuclear reactors and assisting them with missile technology. Western intelligence officials believe that the technology will enable Iran to complete development of a missile with a range of 2,200 miles, capable of hitting much of Europe. It is designed to carry a 1.2-ton payload, sufficient for a basic nuclear device.

Any ideas?