Iran has reportedly replied to Security Council requests with a new package of proposals designed to avoid a new round of sanctions over its nuclear program even as the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that the U.N. has reached a stalemate with Iran and in the absence of a breakthrough it’s likely that more sanctions on Iran will soon be considered.
Would you like to know what kind of assessment a bipartisan think tank offers on the U.S. response to the Iranian nuclear program? This report in The Wall Street Journal highlights a recent assessment by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The Center is a non-profit organization that was established in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell to develop and promote bipartisan solutions. The assessment notes the failure of the recent diplomatic efforts and economic incentives designed to curb Iran’s nuclear program and encourages harsher sanctions to demonstrate to Iran the severity of the situation. The Center’s assessment also bluntly advises President Obama to begin planning for the military option as a clear warning and inducement to Iran to take the diplomatic track seriously:
It is critical that Mr. Obama use the upcoming special session of the U.N. Security Council and the G-20 summit to marshal support for a robust strategy aimed at preventing both Iranian nuclear-weapons capability and an Israeli strike. This new strategy needs to begin with the imposition of expanded and more effective sanctions on Iran’s banking and energy sectors, as well as on companies that do business with them. […] Given Iran’s shortening nuclear timetable and diplomatic challenges for forging an international consensus on sanctions, we urge Mr. Obama simultaneously to begin preparations for the use of military options. Now is the time for the president to reinforce his commitment to “use all elements of American power to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon,” as he stated in February. We believe only a credible U.S. military threat can make possible a peaceful solution.
The full report on U.S. options can be found on the website of the Bipartisan Policy Center.
