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EDITORIAL: Increase the pressure(Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Apr. 13--Tuesday's declaration from Iran's president that his country is enriching uranium is a thumb in the eye of the international community. It should steel the United Nations' resolve to shut down Iran's nuclear program. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's declaration came just two weeks after the United Nations Security Council unanimously resolved to give Iran until April 28 to suspend enrichment, a step in producing nuclear fuel for power or for weapons. Analysts said Iran's timing was meant to convince the Security Council that it is too late to stop the country's nuclear program. But a nuclear-armed Iran is too big a risk for the world to accept. Iran is an aggressive promoter of radical Islam and sponsor of terrorism. With a nuclear arsenal, Iran could dominate the energy-rich Persian Gulf and threaten any other country within missile range. Reports that U.S. defense officials have been drawing up plans for strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities are not surprising. It's one of the Pentagon's responsibilities to be prepared for contingencies. But military force needs to remain a last resort. There is still time for diplomacy. Most analysts believe Iran, even after its declaration, is several years away from producing nuclear weapons. There are steps the Security Council can take short of broad economic sanctions to raise the pressure on Iran, including an international arms embargo, a freeze on its leaders' financial assets and a suspension of its U.N. membership. Now is the time for the United States to begin building support for such steps. |