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AIC
UPDATE - September
2005 | Vol. 2 | No. 31
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AIC Update is an information resource for US-Iran
relations and the efforts of the American Iranian
Council to promote dialogue and understanding
between the United States and Iran.
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| Issue No. 4 of AIC INSIGHT will arrive shortly |
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AIC Publications
Issue No. 4 of AIC Insight will arrive shortly. This
quarterly publication of the American Iranian Council
includes:
• An Editorial on Iran’s June
Presidential election and its impact on the country’s
domestic conditions and international relations
by Farideh Farhi, Adjunct Professor at University
of Hawaii
• U.S. Sanctions on Iran’s Oil and Gas
Sector: A Lose – Lose Scenario
by Fereidun Fesharaki, President of
Fesharaki Associates Consulting and
Technical Services
• Impasse over Iran’s Nuclear Program: Is
there a Way Out?
by Gary Sick, Senior Research Scholar and
Director of the Gulf/2000 Project at Columbia
University
• A Stunning Election? Maybe Not
by Ali Akbar Mahdi, Professor of
Sociology at Ohio Wesleyan University
• The Pistachio Story: An Update
by Donald Alford Weadon, Jr., A Private
Washington, D.C. International Lawyer
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| The IAEA’s Resolution Provides a New Window of Opportunity for Direct US-Iran Negotiations |
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On September 24, the Board of Governors of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted
a tough resolution on Iran’s nuclear programs. It
declares Iran in non-compliance with the Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and calls on the country to
either change course to the satisfaction of IAEA or
face the United Nations Security Council for even
tougher measures. Although the “trigger” resolution
has no set date, Iran is told to comply by the next
Board meeting in November in order to avoid such an
eventuality. Iran characterized the resolution
as “political” and said that it will not give in to
pressure, but at the same time officials are calm,
trying to keep doors open. It must be noted that
referral of Iran to the Security Council will require
another round of voting by the Board.
Of the 35 members of the Board, 22 voted for and
one against the resolution. The remaining 12
abstained, including Russia, China, and South Africa.
The vote for the resolution by India, who is not even
a signatory to the NPT, surprised and dismayed Iran
the most. Traditionally, the Board has adopted most
of its resolutions by consensus rather than by vote.
Unable to arrive at a common position, the US-EU
coalition forced the Board into a divided vote that is
guaranteed to reduce the Agency’s effectiveness. It
is almost certain that the next time, too, there will
be no consensus and the Board will vote. Although
by then the Board’s composition will slightly change
in Iran’s favor, the resolution makes it hard, if not
impossible, for Iran to satisfy the majority.
In drafting the resolution, the US-EU coalition does
not seem to have been interested in giving Iran an
opportunity to resolve the remaining issues with the
Agency. Rather, the language used suggests that
the resolution is designed as a trap so that Iran will
have no option but to meet its opponents in the
Security Council, and perhaps beyond. The trap is
anticipated to work because the “hard line”
government in Tehran is not expected to back down
from its position as set forth in the speech by
President Ahmadinejad at the UN two weeks ago.
The US has for long hoped to see Iran reported to
the UN not because the IAEA’s authority to deal with
Iran is limited, but because the UN could authorize
sanctions and allow for the use of force.
After paying lip service to Iran’s “inalienable right” to
peaceful nuclear technology.....
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| About Us |
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Vision
The vision of the American Iranian Council is that the
United States and Iran will work together, since their
common interests far outweigh their differences. AIC
also envisions the Iranian-American community
playing an increasingly significant role in American
society, and Iran becoming a democratically
developed member of the global community with full
respect for human rights.
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Mission
The mission of AIC is to be a constructive force, in
cooperation and partnership with other organizations,
in bringing the United States and Iran together,
involving the Iranian-American community in the
dialogue, and bringing attention to social and political
conditions in Iran.
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Goals
The three
interrelated goals of the American Iranian Council
are:
1.
To serve as a platform for sustained dialogue on U.S.-
Iran relations.
2. To serve as a catalyst to educate all Americans,
including Iranian-Americans, regarding this
dialogue.
3. To serve as a forum for discussion of issues of
importance in Iranian society.
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Copyright © 2005 American Iranian Council. All
rights reserved.
American Iranian Council | 20 Nassau Street, Suite
111 | Princeton | NJ | 08542
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