Iran’s Brazen Gambit in the Nuclear Chess Game
Posted October 30th, 2009 at 2.00pm in American Leadership.
Iran’s theocratic dictatorship once again has thrown up an obstacle to diplomatic resolution of the nuclear stalemate. The New York Times today reported that Iran has rejected the U.S-conceived, U.N.-backed plan for temporarily easing tensions over Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program. After initially reaching an “agreement in principle” to export roughly 70 percent of its known supplies of low-enriched uranium, Tehran once again has backed away from the P5&1 proposal and instead has presented a counter-proposal (details yet to be revealed) that is sure to fall short of what is necessary to relieve international concerns over its illicit nuclear efforts.
One frustrated diplomat involved in the nuclear talks with the Iranians was quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying: “It’s like playing chess with a monkey. You get them to checkmate, and then they swallow the king.”
But Iran, which claims to have invented the game of chess, should not be underestimated. It is outsmarting the western diplomats that it is negotiating with by stretching out the negotiations while it continues to enrich uranium. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has trumpeted the negotiations as a victory for Iran over western adversaries. In a speech yesterday he proclaimed: “Once they told us to stop [nuclear work]. Now they express readiness to cooperate with us in exchange of fuel, expansion of the technology and construction of power plants and atomic reactors.”
Iran also probably still has nuclear chess pieces hidden under the table that it will reveal triumphantly at the end of the game. At that point, with a nuclear weapon in hand, Tehran will declare checkmate – or in Farsi: “shah mat” (“the king is ambushed” or “helpless”).
For more on Iran, see: Iran Briefing Room
- Author: James Phillips
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October 30, 2009 Freedom of Speech, TX writes:
Disagree with one point in this article.
Iran is not “outsmarting” the West. The West and the East and the Middle East and the UN know Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. They knew N. Korea was seeking nuclear weapons.
The entire world sat on its hands and did NOTHING.
China and Russia could have both ended the mess in Iran and N. Korea. With their influence, the UN would have caved.
The truth is that regional politics and economics is more important than preventing pyschotic dictators from getting a weapon that could begin a WW.
The truth is that the UN did NOTHING, as usual. They only know appeasement when dealing with tyrants or a couple of “other” superpowers.
The truth is that they say the US should leade and then China and Russia block any meaningful sanctions and pressure in the security council. The rest of the world follows them like sheep.
The truth is we and a very few countries are combatting global terrorism for most of the world. There is no unity when it comes to spilling blood and spending treasure.
This is the worst type of social freeloading. And, only an IDIOT does not know this to be true! On this issue, diplomats representing their countries are nothing but cowards.
Like everything else in this world, the USA better get ready to be blamed. And, we better be ready to send out another apology.
We’ve put up with this sick, twisted, murderous regieme since 1979 and mainly because the world not the US wanted to do nothing but talk.
Thanks China and Russia for making the world a safer place.