November 20th, 2009 by Jason

Members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany met today to discuss how to move forward concerning Iran. The IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei rejected the use of sanctions, arguing they would make Iran more intransigent. Speaking in Asia, President Obama explained “we’ve seen indications that for internal political reasons or perhaps because they are stuck in some of their own rhetoric” Iran has been unable to agree to any nuclear deal.

One source of Iran’s intransigence, according to Meir Javedanfar, is that Ayatollah Khamenei no longer has “time, patience or sympathy for those who may question him.” For example, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, the Iranian who founded Hezbollah in Lebanon, is no longer “treated like a hero” as would be expected. Javedanfar explains “the reason is simple: he is a reformist.”

In response to Geneive Abdo’s prediction that Ayatollah Khamenei will be the last Supreme Leader, niacINsight worries that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would seek to assume full political control in that scenario, converting Iran into a military dictatorship.

Mark Tooley in the Weekly Standard observes that American evangelical Southern Baptists “are pushing for more U.S. pressure against Iran’s nuclear program while also offering solidarity to Iran’s suppressed domestic opposition.” In a recent joint Jewish-Evangelical resolution, they call for “strict sanctions” while reserving military action as a “last resort.” The editorial staff of The Washington Times, however has lost its patience. They clamor for getting “ready to bomb Iran” as the “last best chance for peace,” calling the case for using force a “slam-dunk.”

Freedom House offers another method of supporting the Iranian opposition. It has urged the U.N. to pass a resolution sponsored by Canada condemning Iran’s human rights abuses, mirroring similar calls from Iranian pro-reform activists. In a press release, they call the human rights situation in Iran “particularly egregious.”

Finally, Tehran Bureau has posted their documentary “A Death in Tehran” online about Neda Agha-Soltan, the woman shot and killed during the post-election protests.

Posted in Diplomacy, EU, Freedom, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Military, Multilateralism, Oil, US foreign policy, US politics, sanctions |