TEHERAN UNMOVED

by MONITOR l THE news from North Korea about its willingness to return to observance of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is encouraging although, as always, it is hedged about with confusing qualifications. At the same time, however, Iran's position on developing its nuclear programme without reference to the treaty appears to be hardening. It is extremely difficult to judge the sincerity of Iran's protestations that it is confining its activities to the use of nuclear energy for peaceful uses. Although it is true that Iran's nuclear developments to date do not offend against any international agreement it is also true that they have been conducted clandestinely in a way that inevitably raises doubts about their purpose. At the United Nations last week President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran vowed to press ahead with a nuclear programme and criticised the United States and the European Union for trying to interfere; yesterday Iran's principal negotiator on nuclear questions, Ali Larijani, said that if, as now seems likely, the UN Atomic Energy Agency reports Iran to the UN Security Council for non-compliance with international agreements the outcome would be Iran's refusal to accept the Agency's right to inspect its activities. Iran is much more difficult to deal with than North Korea. China supports Iran to a greater degree than it does North Korea and Russia is also sympathetic to Teheran's nuclear ambitions. At the same time the United States, Britain and France are open to the accusation that they are operating “double standards” because while they seek Iran's compliance with the non-proferation treaty they turn a blind eye to the possession of nuclear weapons outside the treaty by India, Pakistan and, of course, Israel. Britain, France and Germany have been pursuing a diplomatic course with Iran whereas the United States favours a tougher line with UN-authorised sanctions as the ultimate measure. At the moment neither approach seems likely to have much effect on the newly-elected, hard-line government in Teheran.