Defiant Iran Snubs UN, Again

Reports out of the Middle East in the past few days indicate that Iran still intends to continue moving forward with its nuclear program in defiance of the United Nations Security Council. The Council, which has so far passed two sanctions regimes generally regarded as weak and ineffective, has been considering the imposition of additional measures against Tehran if it insists on maintaining its current pursuit of uranium enrichment capability.

Iran has said since its nuclear program was first revealed that it is only interested in civilian nuclear technology and that it has no desire to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Although Iran is rich in oil and natural gas reserves, it lacks the refinement capacity necessary to make it an energy independent nation. Iranian leaders have maintained that their agreement to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allows them to develop nuclear capabilities for civilian energy production.

Many in the west, however, are concerned that Iran is using its nuclear program as cover for a weapons of mass destruction capability. Efforts to sanction Iran in the United Nations Security Council have been led primarily by the United States and its allies in Western Europe. Since the election of conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy, France has become one of Iran's harshest critics. Opposition in the Security Council has come from China and Russia, both of which have significant economic ties to Tehran.

The recent release of a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate which claimed Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 only added fuel to the fire surrounding the UN debate. Writing in a Daily Analysis Brief for the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent Washington-based organization, Greg Bruno says, "U.S. weapons experts have expressed shock at the report's findings; Iran's leaders say it vindicates their claims that their nuclear program is peaceful; and Washington's allies in Europe and the Middle East have reportedly questioned its intelligence."

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, is due to provide an update on Iran's nuclear program by the end of this week. The agency has in the past expressed its concerns about Tehran's openness regarding its nuclear ambitions. According to Global Security, a defense think tank, Iran's nuclear program began during the reign of the Shah, who was deposed in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Iran's nuclear program is viewed by several western analysts as part of a three-pronged effort to increase Persian power and influence in the Middle East. The other two prongs involve support for Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, respectively, and Iran's alleged fomenting of violence in neighboring Iraq.

Sources: Global Security, CFR