An editorial in The Washington Post, titled “Hold the Line on Iran” Friday commented on the “impasse” in nuclear negotiations with Iran observing that it “certainly does not reflect a lack of initiative by the Obama administration,” but “[i]f Iran has made similar efforts to bridge the gaps between the two sides, there is no report of them.”
Instead, Tehran appears to be sticking to its insistence on maintaining and eventually vastly expanding its nuclear infrastructure while offering only a temporary slowdown in uranium enrichment and “increased transparency.” It is refusing to discuss its ballistic missile program and still isn’t cooperating with international inspectors’ probe into its past nuclear weapons design work.
The Post’s warning is especially notable because last year it ran an editorial hailing the the Geneva Accord between the P5+1 nations and Iran. While acknowledging that “[t]he risks of the deal are consequently substantial” the editorial last year concluded that “[f]or now, the prudent course is to give diplomacy its chance.”
The Washington Post is the third major American newspaper to raise doubts about Iran’s good faith in the ongoing nuclear negotiations. Last week The Chicago Tribune warned against granting Iran anymore extensions to bring its nuclear program into compliance with Security Council resolutions. The New York Times asserted in an editorial last week regarding the impasse in negotiations that “[t]he fault lies mainly with Iran.”
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