Iran. . .You're on Notice

The following excerpts are from a NY TIMES article titled "U.S. and Britain Try a New Tack on Iran," published: December 4, 2005:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 - In a new effort to pressure Iran to allow strict controls on its nuclear program, Britain and the United States are trying to persuade Russia and China to endorse their conclusion, derived from what officials call new evidence, that Tehran intends to build nuclear weapons, American and European diplomats said.

Until now, the effort to rein in Iran's nuclear program has occurred largely in the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, which has described a pattern of highly suspicious behavior by Iran. But the agency focuses on identifying possible diversions of nuclear material and has little weapons expertise.

. . .

The British, as part of the effort to persuade Russia and China to join a declaration on Iran, are citing documents turned over to the nuclear agency by Iran apparently showing that it was offered technology to make metallic hemispheres from highly enriched uranium.

Hmm. . .sounds awfully familiar.

Also, maybe I’ve played RISK too much during my childhood, but it seems rather suspicious that during our protracted “war on terror” we’ve flanked the country we are currently threatening in so many words. If I was the head of a country and saw the neighboring nations to my left and right fall to invaders, you’d bet I’d be stockpiling the weapons (that’s what you do when playing RISK, isn’t it)?