A political scientist concluded that Iran poses no threat to the U.S. mainland, United Press International reports. The analysis said the U.S. can solve its problems with Iran through the soft power of diplomacy. It recommends patient thought in favor of a show of military power.
Thursday marked Iran’s Nuclear Day, the two-year anniversary of the nation’s first enrichment of uranium, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad showcased Iran’s expansion of nuclear technology. Ahmadinejad announced that the number of centrifuges for enrichment was up to 7,000 from 6,000 in February.
The U.N. has asked Iran to stop uranium enrichment, according to the Associated Press. Yet the state has refused to stop, saying it’s entitled to peaceful nuclear technology. Israel and others warn that Iran’s ultimate goal is a nuclear weapon.
The Bush administration took the same accusatory tone as Israel, while the Obama administration isn’t saying that Iran is dead-set on nuclear weapons. The present State Department is taking a much softer, yet still questioning position.
“Iran is entitled to have a civilian nuclear program, but with that program come responsibilities,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington. “If Iran means very seriously that its program is for civilian purposes only, then why doesn’t it comply with the basic things that the international community has asked Iran to do?”
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