Iran’s ‘Outlawed’ Nuclear Program

by Jeremy R. Hammond

April 8, 2009

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Jeremy R. Hammond is an independent political analyst whose articles have been featured in numerous print and online publications around the world. He is the founder and editor of Foreign Policy Journal (www.foreignpolicyjournal.com), an online source for news, critical analysis, and opinion commentary on U.S. foreign policy. He was a recipient of the 2010 Project Censored Awards for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. Read more articles by Jeremy R. Hammond.
http://www.jeremyrhammond.com

20 Responses to Iran’s ‘Outlawed’ Nuclear Program

hass
April 9, 2009 at 2:54 pm
It should also be pointed out that the UNSC resolutions are ultra vires, even if taken under Art 39, since Iran’s right to enrich uranium is not derived from the NPT, but is instead a sovereign right that supersedes the NPT. The NPT merely recognizes that right, it does grant that right. That’s why countries which have not signed the NPT or which developed their nuclear programs prior to the NPT have perfectly legal nuclear programs too. Under the terms of the NPT, Iran did not agree to forsake nuclear enrichment if found in violation. Iran has merely agreed not to build nukes and allow IAEA verification of that commitment. THus far, Iran has lived up to that obligation too. Therefore, demands that Iran give up its nuclear program are themselves illegal. THe UNSC is bound by customary international law and cannot violate jus cogens, by demanding that a country agree to a treaty or give up a sovereign right.
- Jeremy R. Hammond
  April 9, 2009 at 3:43 pm
  “The NPT merely recognizes that right, it does grant that right.”
  Correct.
Ali
April 11, 2009 at 10:59 am
The article says that “Iran engaged E.U. member states, but when nothing came of the talks and negotiations over Iran’s program stalled, Iran resumed its activities, which it had every right to do under the NPT.” That is not the complete picture. After two years of negotiations, which the EU stalled time and again, and after Iran insisted that EU comes out with its final document regarding the Iranian nuclear program, the EU demanded in writing, that Iran suspend all enrichment activities indefinitely, and commit in writing that it will never have any enrichment programs. Furthermore, EU demanded that all nuclear physics related studies at all Iranian universities and educational institutions close down indefinitely. As for Obama, the article says that it is pursuing the Bush administration’s policy toward Iran. That is also half the story. While Bush clearly stated that America and its allies were trying to prevent Iran from acquiring the knowledge to build a nuclear weapon in some future scenario, Obama just refers to the Iranian nuclear industry as the Iranian nuclear weapons program, and asserts that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Given the imbecile that everyone knew Bush was, and the top university law professor that Obama was, that is very disturbing. It would be more fitting for the article to point out that Obama is pursuing the neoconservative devised plan of appearing as having given Iran the chance for engagement and consensus with the West, blown apart only by Iran’s intransigence. That plan is set into motion, with America’s offer of direct negotiation with Iran through the 5+1 meetings. The even more correct description of Obama’s administration would be a neconservative agenda backed by the intelligence of the liberal critics of the Bush administration, instead of the typical vile of the Bush supporters, which is more like the picture the world outside of America has of American governments, when the time comes for America to give and do its best.
JDonald
April 11, 2009 at 2:46 pm
The Western press is mainly owned by Jewish persons who will always compromise the values engrained in “free press ” principles for the sake of the state of Israel. Wolf Blitzer has earned his reward in Israel. And AIPAC has the US congress around its little finger for reasons that are not comprehensible. There is no reason why the world should collude with Israel in denying Iran the right to develop nuclear power plants.
Don Bacon
April 11, 2009 at 9:04 pm
There is another important point, and that is that all other demands by the UN, outside the safeguards against diversion, are without basis in the NPT, because the UN/IAEA is *EXCLUSIVELY* restricted to determining compliance in regard to diversion.
NPT: “Each non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty undertakes to accept safeguards, as set forth in an agreement to be negotiated and concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency in accordance with the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Agency’s safeguards system, for the exclusive purpose of verification of the fulfillment of its obligations assumed under this Treaty with a view to preventing diversion of nuclear energy from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”
Gordo
April 12, 2009 at 3:23 am
” AIPAC has the US congress around its little finger for reasons that are not comprehensible.” Try: endless funds for political contributions, recirculated from the steady stream of money sent to Israel, exempt from accountability.
Ish
April 12, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Hi,
I just wanted to comment that I have never heard mention of monitoring electrical grids to determine if power is being diverted to a clandestine enrichment facility.
It seems to me that by monitoring the national grid it would be relatively simple to detect the huge loads that are required to spin the thousands of centrifuges that are needed to enrich diverted reactor fuel or into HEU.
I am not as familiar with centrifuge technology as I am with Gaseous Diffusion or Calutrons but I do know that much of this technology (magnets) runs on DC current that is at least in some instances, mechanically converted from AC current from the grid with huge power losses.
Maybe they don’t do it because it would be too obvious that Iran is in compliance.
Akbert Hakim
April 14, 2009 at 6:11 am
IAEA and U.N agencies are proven to be an instrument of U.S. and allies. They have lost credibility and influence in the eyes of international community. Any reasonable man with an average IQ can decipher hypocrisy, double standard and injustices imposed by U.S. imperialism thru U.N resolutions. West demand for Iran to comply with illegal U.N resolutions while they think rest of the world lacks reasonable intelligence to question all those against Israel that are passed to no avail. What West is trying to achieve is to keep developing countries just ‘developing’ and never ‘developed.’
Iranians are well aware that this is all about strategic balance of power in the Persian Gulf and ME. To conspire to keep Iran weak in order to achieve Zionist objective. Iran is not Egypt, or Jordan or UAE or Qatar or Kuwait or Saudi; to be bought and slaved. Iran is a major sovereign country with significant weight, and a nationalistic zeal which does not want to depend on West for it enriched uranium. Iran knows very well the slaved U.S. agenda and will never ever allow to be pushed around. They are very pragmatic and remember their historical facts better. Politically, very sophisticated, militarily will fight till all die. The U.S. efforts to keep Iran a backward and dependant country like those of Arabs is futile.
They have exhibited more intelligence than us, during Bush dynasty. Iranians are very skilled negotiators and great chess players. At the end, U.S. will have to accept Iran as a nuclear power, sooner the better. Israel will have to make concessions towards Palestinians due to the very shift in this strategic balance of power and their extremist blood hungry behavior. U.S. Should rid itself of destructive AIPAC Zionist lobby’s agenda which is destructive to U.S. interests globally and which U.S. tax payers are paying a heavy price for. U.S. must rid itself of traitor neo- cons, once and for all. It is time for U.S. government to wake up and see the world not thru Zionist lens, but rather thru the lens of reality, justice and equality when dealing with Iran.
Jeremy R. Hammond
April 14, 2009 at 7:35 am
“What West is trying to achieve is to keep developing countries just ‘developing’ and never ‘developed.’”
Becoming “developed” would be fine, so long as the nation in question would be willing to take orders from Washington. Otherwise, this is essentially correct. I suggest William Blum’s “Killing Hope: U.S. CIA and Military Interventions Since WWII” for a history of examples.
temsSessstype
May 20, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Wonderful post:) Hope to come back soon:D
Jay
June 30, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Brilliant post
john doe
September 29, 2009 at 4:42 pm
I’m all for nuclear disarmament, but realistically, it is a utopian ideal. Even if Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, the U.S. goal should not be to alienate them as we are doing now. This would only drive any weapons program they might be pursuing further underground. If Iran is developing a bomb, let them do it out in the open, let them roll them down the street in a huge parade as nations like China do. At least then we will know they have a bomb, and we will be better able to hold them accountable for passing weapons or the technology to develop the weapons, to other nations or terrorist organizations. Isn’t that what the nations rattling their sabers are really concerned about anyway? Iran knows passing said technologies to the aforementioned would result in severe retaliation by the world community. Alienating them at this critical point in time is detrimental to our national security.
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Hugh Ryan
April 9, 2011 at 1:16 am
For a fictional, but pithy and no-nonsense, view of this situation, see the short story “In the Gulf” in The Real Thing & Other Tales, by James Baar, former business executive, Washington journalist, and co-author of four books on Cold War politics. http://tiny.cc/s6twz. (I have no commercial interest in the book; I just like the stories.)