U.S., Israel and Iran move closer to threat of war

MOSCOW, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The more concessions the "Iran Six" nations of the United States, Russia, Britain, Germany, France and the People's Republic of China make to the Islamic Republic of Iran on the nuclear issue, the more capricious political leaders in Tehran become.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has made the Islamic Republic's nuclear program a hostage of his campaign for the 2009 presidential elections.

This time the United States and Israel have gone further than ever before. The U.S. Congress has instructed the U.S. Department of Defense to immediately start talks with the Israeli government on the placement of a ballistic missile defense radar in Israel "to defend against threats from Iran and Syria."

U.S. congressmen sent a letter to President George W. Bush strongly urging him to deploy the early warning AN/TPY-2 radar to Israel as soon as possible and reminding him that Iran has tested "nine long- and medium-range missiles, including an upgraded Shahab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel." The radar will ensure the destruction of Iranian Shahab IRBM missiles by Israeli interceptors.

Israel intends to buy from the United States the Vulcan Phalanx missile defense system, which can down short-range missiles such as the Qassam, which Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement that controls Gaza, and the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah -- party of God -- in southern Lebanon have used to shell Israel.

The Islamic Republic of Iran most likely will ignore the new "freeze for freeze" proposal under which Tehran would not increase its enrichment efforts and the Iran Six nations would freeze the movement toward tougher sanctions against Iran.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said July 30 that Tehran would continue to develop its nuclear program, whose peaceful nature the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.N. Security Council are questioning.

What will happen next?

Unless Iran decides to suspend uranium enrichment, it can expect more and harsher sanctions to be imposed by the United States and the 27-nation European Union as early as late this month or next month, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

There is still time for Israel and the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy missile defense radars and systems in Israel, and for the Islamic Republic of Iran to carefully weigh the pros and cons of its continued confrontation with the rest of the world.

But time is running out fast, because Israel and the United States never before have seemed so serious.

--

(Pyotr Goncharov is a political commentator for RIA Novosti. This article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.)

--

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)