The dangers of playing hardball

[bemildred]

TEHRAN - The month of November in a US presidential-election year is not supposed to be particularly eventful, but this year may be an exception, in the light of the gathering storm over Iran's nuclear program, due to be reviewed by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in late November. November is also important because of the Egypt summit on the future of Iraq, bringing the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries and Iraq's neighbors together, with the United States and Iran eyeball to eyeball.

But, based on the IAEA's September report, calling on Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, repeated shortly thereafter by the G8 countries, and Iran's adamant rejection of this demand, the stage is now set for the fulfillment of the United States' long-sought drive to bring the matter before the UN Security Council.

In a last-ditch effort, diplomats from France, the United Kingdom and Germany meet top Iranian officials in Vienna on Thursday to offer Tehran one more chance to halt its uranium-enrichment plans. If, as expected, Iran rejects this European Union offer, most European states are likely to back US demands that Tehran be reported to the Security Council when the IAEA meets in November.

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And this interesting bit:

And China's top envoy to the UN went on record on Tuesday as promising to veto any Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Iran.

Asia Times