Crossing the Line

(Thumbnail image from Foreign Policy)

Iran has a secret uranium enrichment plant, meaning the Islamic Republic now has two nuclear facilities. Western leaders at the G20 responded forcefully to the news.

“Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow.”

“Confronted by the serial deception of many years the international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand.”

“If by December there is not an in-depth change by the Iranian leaders sanctions will have to be taken this is for the peace and stability.” (CNN)

Media outlets around the world are writing and broadcasting stories looking at the next step in this saga. A main trend in the coverage is that the time for talking with Iran may be over. We get perspectives on this story from the Wall Street Journal, the Jerusalem Post, TIME magazine, Press TV, ISRIA, Agence France Presse and Russia Today.

The Wall Street Journal’s Jerry Seib examines the threat of sanctions. Seib forecasts they’ll include blacklisting Iranian banks, shutting down shipments of oil in and out of the country. The editor adds the West has changed it’s thinking on sanctions.

“For a long time the thinking was don’t impose sanctions that hurt the average Iranian, that might alienate the guy on the street in Tehran who you want to be on the side of the West and against the regime. I think since the trouble that we’ve seen on the streets of Iran and the unpopularity of the regime I think there’s now a feeling that maybe sanctions that hit the average Iranian might not be a bad idea cos it will only feed the dissatisfaction with the leaders who are running the country now.”

“Obama made a first move towards Russia by repealing Bush's European missile shield, and in return, got Medvedev's two steps forward [against Iran]... if Russia comes on board a new sanctions regime, China is likely to follow…”

TIME interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad suggested the West back off from sanctions and threats.

"If I were Obama's adviser, I would definitely advise him to refrain from making this statement because it is definitely a mistake. Because it is definitively a mistake." “Again if I was Mr. Obama’s advisor I would definitely tell him not to mention it.”

Iranian state-funded Press TV responded to their President’s interview with TIME. They believe it’s a warning the U.S. president should not pressure Iran on its nuclear program.

Geopolitical intelligence website, ISRIA has the perspective of Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He believes emerging and developing countries like Brazil and Iran should the have right to nuclear energy. ISRIA highlights how for this reason, he’s against punishing Iran.

“Defending Iran’s rights to pursue peaceful nuclear energy, [Da Silva] said negotiation is the best possible solution to the issue.”

Agence France Presse interviewed Da Silva who builds on why negotiation is important, especially regarding the US's political position in the region.  He says the West is treading on dangerous soil with the war in Iraq ongoing.

“Even those leaders who were in favor of the war in Iraq are unable to explain why the invaded if there are no chemical weapons. Well, I’m seeing the same sort of thing starting to happen over in Iran.”

Russia Today talked to Dr. Raanan Gissin former senior advisor to the Israeli prime minister. Gissin refutes Da Silva’s perspective saying world leaders need to take action, and take it now.

“I think this is the time for action now because if Iran is able to cross the threshold of enough sufficient I would say enriched uranium that it can assemble a bomb, there is a whole, gammet of scenarios, nightmare scenarios. Not necessarily the one where they mount a bomb on a Shihad missile but soon they would provide some of their proxy terrorist organizations that could explode in Africa, in Asia, in Europe or the Middle East.”

The five members of the UN Security Council will meet with Iranian leaders October 1^st in Geneva to continue talks about Iran’s nuclear program.