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Pressure Iran with Tighter Sanctions

(Politico) Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) - While the administration has been quick to hail the latest round of talks with Iran as breaking new ground, the tortuous decade-long history of U.S. and European diplomatic engagement with the country is littered with Iranian feints and the promise of concessions that never occur. (In fall 2009 talks in Geneva, Iran actually agreed in principle to take steps to transfer most of its stockpile of enriched uranium out of the country.) The last time we were told to be cautiously optimistic, Iran barely had one weapon's worth of enriched uranium. Now it has a stockpile of uranium that is the equivalent of several weapons worth, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. For the past 10 years, world powers have been talking to Iran. Meanwhile, Iran has been creating facts on the ground by building the elements of a nuclear weapons program and the long-range missiles needed to deliver a nuclear warhead. Tightening sanctions as we engage diplomatically affords us the opportunity to apply further pressure and force Iran's leaders to choose between regime survival and a nuclear weapon. So yes, we should take this opportunity to meet with Iran, but our patience must be limited. It is far too premature to let up the pressure.
2013-11-04 00:00:00
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