Washington Times: Following two decades of Tehran’s lies and three years of international wishful thinking, Iran’s nuclear case was finally brought to the hands of the U.N. Security Council. In the meantime the mullahcracy in Tehran has been gearing itself for another phase of international standoff.
Iranians in fear of fear
Rice confident of agreement to pressure Iran
Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she was confident an international agreement would be reached on way to pressure Iran to stop enriching uranium.
Britain pushes for military option to restrain Tehran
The Times: Britain is pressing for a United Nations resolution that would open the way for punitive sanctions and even the use of force if Iran were to refuse to halt its controversial nuclear programme.
Leaked letter in full: UK diplomat outlines Iran strategy
Times Online: John Sawers, a leading British diplomat, outlined his strategy for winning Russian and Chinese support for tougher action against Iran in a confidential letter dated March 16. It was addressed to his counterparts in France, Germany and the US:
U.S. still expects U.N. statement on Iran – envoy
Reuters: The United States still believes the U.N. Security Council can reach agreement in coming days on a statement calling on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities, a senior envoy said on Wednesday.
Russia says treaty must be kept intact in Iran crisis
Reuters: Efforts to resolve the Iran nuclear crisis should focus on keeping the Non-Proliferation Treaty intact, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Tailor’s bag that put West on the trail of Iran’s nuclear secrets
Daily Telegraph: Nuclear inspectors have established a link between Iranian nuclear documents and the blueprint for a warhead bought by Libya on the black market. The discovery increases suspicions that Teheran is trying to build atomic weapons under the cloak of its “civil” nuclear programme.
Who will challenge Iran?
Los Angeles Times: The radioactive question of Iran’s nuclear program has now landed in the lap of the United Nations Security Council. Which is downright odd because, according to many learned observers, the Security Council’s authority all but vanished when the United States and Britain bypassed it to invade Iraq in 2003.
UN Council deadlocked on Iran statement
Reuters: The U.N. Security Council ran into new obstacles on Tuesday in trying to issue a statement on reining in Iran’s nuclear ambitions after Russia insisted on deleting key parts of the text.
Man tried to sell explosives components to Iran: US Customs
AFP: US authorities have charged a man with trying to illegally export sensors that could allegedly be used to make bombs to Iran in violation of a US trade embargo, officials said.
