UN Security Council votes on Iran

The Times of London is reporting that the Council unanimously voted to impose restrictions on nuclear imports to Iran, plus other restrictions. This sounds terrific!

There are a few problems, though.

1) Saddam Hussein's behavior demonstrated that defying UN resolutions carries no negative consequences (unless the United States makes a decision).

2) Hussein also demonstrated that tyrants can make a fortune under UN sanctions.

So, will Ahmadinejad accept the terms of the Security Council resolution, or will he defy it?

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Iran immediately denounced the sanctions as “invalid and illegal” and said it would not heed them. Officials in Tehran hinted that they might bar inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency watching for any sign of preparations to make a nuclear weapon.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had already responded to the prospect of UN action by warning that Britain was “doomed to disappear” along with Israel and America.

Ahmadinejad, who has previously threatened to wipe Israel off the map, claimed the three countries would “vanish like the pharaohs” of Egypt.

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Surprise, surprise, surprise! When he takes action against the resolution, what do you think the UN will do? (hint: more toothless resolutions)

More comedy from the article:

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Russia emphasised that the UN resolution did not back the use of force. But the US said it would not hesitate to return to the security council if Iran failed to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, and western diplomats appeared to leave open the possibility of military action as a last resort.

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Military action from the UN? Come on! The UN allows genocide before considering military action. I'd be surprised if the UN authorized the use of force even after Iran cooks off a nuke.

Still more comedy:

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Iran was said to be considering withdrawing from the treaty on nuclear non-proliferation. Some reports also suggested it might close the Strait of Hormuz, the channel for 20% of the world’s oil, pushing up prices and increasing the risk of a military confrontation. However, western diplomats believe Iran is unlikely to do this.

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Iran withdrew from the NPT the moment they violated it by enriching uranium in secret for three years. The whole Iranian nuclear standoff has changed from film noire to comedy.

Remember back to the early 1980s: Israel launched Operation Opera the moment Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor came online, destroying it completely. I expect Israel to repeat the operation when Iran's first nuclear ambitions come to fruition.