(Washington Post) Editorial - As Iran faces an Oct. 31 deadline to give IAEA inspectors full access to its nuclear facilities and programs, the world faces its own Iranian deadline. If work at the extensive nuclear facilities uncovered around the country during the past year is not frozen, the fundamentalist Islamic regime will soon have the capacity to manufacture the key elements of nuclear weapons. Israeli officials say this "point of no return" could be reached by the middle of next year. Time is running out for the Iranian program to be stopped by diplomatic or political means. The Iranians understand this: They have been stalling the IAEA and its inspectors for months and likely will continue to do so even if they formally agree to the agency's demands. Their strategy has a good chance of working unless the U.S., Europe, and Russia quickly start doing a better job of coordinating a common response.
2003-09-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive