Iran warns West against "past mistakes"
Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:02am EDT
By Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday it would refuse to discuss a newly declared nuclear plant at forthcoming international talks and cautioned Western powers it could curb cooperation further if they repeated "past mistakes."
An Iranian MP suggested that parliament might advocate withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if Thursday's Geneva talks with major powers fail and "if the Zionists (Israel) and America continue their pressure on Iran" -- a reference to policies including economic sanctions.
Washington has suggested possible new sanctions on banking and the oil and gas industry if Tehran fails to assuage Western fears it seeks nuclear weapons. U.S. officials believe sanctions could now have more effect, playing on leadership divisions evident since a disputed presidential poll.
Comments by Western and Iranian officials suggested little optimism ahead of the Thursday's rare meeting of the P5+1 -- permanent U.N. Security Council members China, Britain, France, the United Sates and Russia, as well as Germany -- with Iran. MORE
If Iran withdraws from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, inspections of their nuclear facilities will halt, and the reaction from Israel will likely be outrage and then muted as they gear-up for war. We can only hope that Iran's complete disregard for the United Nations will not lead to a Middle-East War that will result in no clear winners, only another disastrous blow to the global economy and the needless loss of what could be hundreds of thousands of lives. The probability/possibility of the United States being drawn into such a conflict are enormously high - which if we fall into the trap, could easily bring China and Russia into the fray, and if that happens, if will be the entire world that will suffer, not just the Middle-East.
