The Obama administration announced Tuesday a deal with other powers, including Russia and China, to impose a fourth set of sanctions on Iran in as many years, touching off a contest with Tehran to win support in the United Nations Security Council.
The announcement came just a day after Iranian leaders announced a tentative deal with Turkey and Brazil to turn over, for a year, about half of Iran’s stockpile of nuclear fuel, part of an effort to undermine the sanctions resolutions. But even if the new sanctions pass the Security Council it is unclear whether its provisions ”” including a mandate to inspect ships suspected of entering foreign ports with nuclear-related technology or weapons ”” will cause enough pain to force the country to halt uranium enrichment and cooperate with international inspectors.
“We have reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of both Russia and China,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday morning. Later in the day, the American ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, presented the resolution to the Security Council, the first step in what promises to be weeks of debate.
Rather more a translucent fig leaf than a meaningful agreement that could prevent Iran from heralding the return of the 12th Imam. Nothing less than inconsequential Kabuki.