POLITICS: Iran Awaits Security Council Reaction to N. Korea

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Kimia Sanati

TEHRAN, Oct 11 2006 (IPS) - In a first reaction to North Korea conducting nuclear tests, Iran has said that the best way to stop proliferation was for the big powers to begin disarmament themselves.

“The best solution to combat nuclear weapons is for the big powers to start by destroying them themselves,” government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency on Tuesday.

But the country’s Supreme National Security Council, the main body dealing with the nuclear issue, is yet to make a pronouncement regarding the North Korean tests.

“Officials will be talking generalities for the time being. They’ll be waiting to see what measures the United Nations Security Council will adopt against North Korea,” a political analyst in Tehran, asking not to be named, told IPS.

The North Korean tests come at the start of a week when the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany were to discuss sanctions against this country for failing to halt its own nuclear programme. Tehran has rejected allegations that trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability and has repeatedly said that it is only interested in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is against any use of weapons of mass destruction, and nuclear weapons in particular,” said Elham, as reported by the Iranian Students’ News Agency.

But the political analyst said these statements were only to be expected: “At the moment what you are likely to hear is mostly condemnation of non-peaceful use of nuclear energy in general and putting the blame on the West for driving North Korea to the point of having to test a nuclear bomb to gain a better standing against the West.”

IRIB, the state-run TV network gave full coverage of Pyongyang’s nuclear test and aired a commentary on Monday. “North Korean appeals to put an end to sanctions and United States threats didn’t lead anywhere, thus it had no other choice than advancing towards non-peaceful use of nuclear energy,” the news commentary said.

“The North Korean nuclear test is a warning to the UN Security Council to face international problems wisely, to put an end to sanctions against North Korea and to pave the way for universal disarmament through implementation of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty),” it said.

Iran is a signatory of NPT and has always insisted that its nuclear programme is being carried out within the NPT framework and under the full supervision of IAEA (International Atamoc Energy Agency) inspectors. It has, however, also made it clear it has no intention to stop its uranium enrichment programme.

Elham was reported saying that Iran had repeatedly announced its stance that if the big powers moved towards disarmament, other countries and particularly Islamic countries would welcome that. “To stop nuclear weapons, the great powers should begin themselves. The consequences of using nuclear weapons will affect all humanity and won’t be beneficial to anyone,” he added.

“The West should offer encouragement to NPT members that are working towards peaceful use of nuclear energy and expand its cooperation with them to strengthen the NPT,” Alaedin Boroujerdi, chairman of Parliament’s national security committee, was quoted as saying by IRNA.

“The reason countries like Pakistan, India, North Korea and Israel have carried out nuclear tests is that they are not NPT members and do not abide by international regulations. Therefore, the West should encourage countries like Iran that carry out their nuclear programmes under the supervision of IAEA and within the framework of international conventions,” he added.

“Iran is the only country that opposes nuclear weapons on the basis of a religious ban on nuclear (and other mass destruction) weapons by its supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in addition to having undertaken within the NPT framework not to attempt to build nuclear weapons,” Boroujerdi said adding that the U.S. must stop its “dual policies”.

“The only way to put an end to this situation is an international decision to wipe out nuclear weapons and put an end to their proliferation. As long as the U.S., the first country ever to use nuclear weapons on innocent people, continues to build nuclear weapons against the provisions of the NPT, the world will be witnessing more of these nuclear tests,” he said.

Opinions as to the impact of North Korea’s nuclear test on Iran’s nuclear case are varied.

A commentary released by the Aftab news website of the Centre for Strategic Research, headed by Iran’s former chief nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rohani, linked the North Korean test to Iran’s nuclear future and speculated completely opposite outcomes for the Islamic Republic from Kim Jong-il’s gamble.

“A realistic analysis of the motivations for the North Korean nuclear test, an appropriate prediction of the UN Security Council and the U.S. reactions, a correct appraisal of the current problems the U.S. is facing in the region now, an accurate evaluation of the bonds and rifts in 5+1, and utilisation of the chances for bargaining are factors that can make the North Korean threat a big opportunity for Iran,” the Aftab’s commentator wrote.

The permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, France, United States, China and Russia, plus Germany – are referred to as the “5+1”.

There are two possibilities facing the international community now, the commentary said, the first of which is to forgo sanctions against Iran for the moment and to put negotiations back on the 5+1 countries’ agenda in regards to Iran’s nuclear capabilities, or to adopt a series of punitive actions including trade and diplomatic sanctions and deterrent military action against Iran.

The reformist newspaper Etemad Meli’s editorial on Tuesday also blamed the West for exerting too much pressure on North Korea, forcing it to follow a road formerly taken by India, Pakistan and others, which the editorial writer believes has been shown to provide these countries with an standing equal to that of the West.

“The West should know it doesn’t have the credibility to make others act in unison with it in two fronts, North Korea and Iran,” the editorial said. “The West can either be strict against North Korea and more flexible towards Iran or to close its eyes to North Korea’s nuclear threat and emphasise encountering Iran’s illusionary and unproven threat when neither the international community nor international bodies have been able to see any deviation in its peaceful nuclear programme,” Etemad Melli’s editor wrote.

“The North Korean nuclear test will not make things easier for Iran. North Korea will not gain much itself as its nuclear test will not help it solve its many economic problems. This can be quite discouraging to Iran. The West on the other hand will exert more pressure on Iran because they think that without that Iran will not give up its nuclear programme. The West knows that if it gives in to North Korea’s demands, it will be setting a bad example for other countries in the world who would want to start their own nuclear programmes to use it as their bargaining chip with the West,” a political analyst said.

“Just like North Korea, Iran is seeking security guarantees from the United States. If the latter doesn’t get them even with a bomb, then Iran can be sure it won’t either with an enrichment programme,” he said. “A tough reaction to North Korea would lead the Islamic Republic leaders to think twice about their defiant behaviour, whereas a compromising reaction with concessions to North Korea would only embolden Iran.”