Iran's nuclear challenge

Sciences politiques | 7 pages | 05-03-2006 | Format : | Note : Non noté |

PRIX : 3.60€ |

Résumé

Based on your reading of the literature on nuclear proliferation, what would be an appropriate strategy toward Iran's alleged nuclear programme? Discuss with reference either to the policies of a particular state, international organization, or, more generally, the “international community”.

Extract:

As diplomats from the 190 signatory countries gather in New York this week for the five-yearly review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran will surely be present in many minds. Although some warning signs had been issued by various intelligence services during the previous decade, concern over Iran's nuclear programme became widespread in August 2002, with the discovery of the Natanz installation, destined for uranium enrichment. In October 2003, an agreement was reached in Tehran, between Iran and the foreign ministers of the three “big” members of the European Union, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Iran agreed to suspend all enrichment-related activities, adhere to the International Atomic Energy Agency's additional protocol requiring more intrusive inspections, and provide full information about its nuclear programme. In return, the EU-3 promised that the issue would not go before the UN Security Council and pledged to provide technology to Iran, including in the civil nuclear area. However, the IAEA later found that a report submitted by Iran omitted references to activities involving advanced centrifuges and to the production of polonium, a material used in the making of nuclear bombs. In the first half of 2004, some inspections visits were postponed and disputes arose over access to military sites. In the run-up to the IAEA board meeting in June 2004, Iranian leaders threatened that Iran would reduce its cooperation with the agency and perhaps even resume enrichment activities. On June 18th, the board adopted an EU-3-sponsored resolution demanding a more complete suspension of enrichment activities. A week later, Iran informed the EU-3 that it had decided to resume the manufacture and testing of centrifuges machines and to proceed with plans for uranium enrichment . In November 2004, the EU-3 returned to Tehran and a new agreement was reached, with Iran committing itself to suspend all enrichment- related activities, and the Europeans reconfirming Iran's right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in accordance with the NPT, promising negotiations on a trade and co-operation agreement and enhanced dialogue, as well as opening up the prospect of Iranian WTO membership . However, Iran has since – on April 30th – let it be known that it may carry on enrichment activities, confronting the international community with a new challenge.

So far, the task of taking on Iran's nuclear programme has been mostly outsourced to the Europeans by the US, even if Washington has sometimes made noises about the need for a tougher approach, and implied that military action might be taken. The EU-3 have tried to engage Tehran, with the hope that offering prospects of cooperation and increased trade may cajole Iran into abandoning its nuclear programme. Nevertheless, despite a slightly different approach, European and American views appear to have converged on the fact that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons would ...

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