The crisis with Iran

Iran will be revisted by the U.N. Security Council tomorrow.

CNN/A.P.: "Iran vows to keep nuke program"

The Financial Times:

Russia and China on Thursday warned against escalating the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. The call came on the eve of an eagerly awaited report on whether the country has met United Nations demands.

The Christian Science Monitor:

The confrontation returns Friday to the United Nations Security Council, where the Iranian regime is hoping a divide-and-conquer strategy will prevent the UN body from taking any coercive action to limit its nuclear program. It may be a bold gambit: Just a month ago, the Council acted - unanimously - to give Iran 30 days to show it had ceased uranium enrichment.

The Washington Post: "Iran tells U.S.: We'd hit back twofold"

Our difficulties in Iraq, and continued commitments to that country, leave the United States in a weakened position. Moreover, George W. Bush's haste to launch the Iraq war, resulting in diplomatic fissures, reinforced a vulnerability within the U.N. Security Council.

One must ask: would the situation with Iran be this difficult if the Iraq war did not happen?