KNOW COMMENT: Europe must not fall for the ayatollahs’ bait-and-delay scam and offer Iran yet another opportunity to wiggle off the hook.
The so-called “snapback” mechanism for sanctions against Iran was triggered yesterday. But the three European countries that made the call – Britain, France, and Germany (the E-3) – may yet fudge the issue and fritter away Western leverage on Iran. Meeting with the Iranians in Istanbul last month and in Geneva this week, they are talking about giving Iran six months’ grace to reach an understanding about curbs on its nuclear bomb and missile programs.
That would be a whopping mistake. The only thing that the E-3 should be talking to Tehran about is the complete and permanent dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile programs, and its armed proxy and terrorist programs across the Middle East. Otherwise, snapback now!
With Iran charred by the emphatic Israeli and American military strikes of July and weakened by economic and domestic upheavals, the Europeans should be toughly negotiating Iran down and away from its aggressive capabilities and postures, not giving the Islamic Republic a sugarcoated lifeline. (Read More)