Strategic Assessment

For over a year the Iranian nuclear file has been in the hands of the UN Security Council, following the failed two-year attempt on the part of the EU-3 to negotiate with Iran over the nuclear issue. The Security Council passed two resolutions on sanctions in light of Iran’s continued defiance of the international community’s demand that it cease uranium enrichment activities; yet Iran’s defiance continued, manifested not only in ongoing but in fact in much accelerated uranium enrichment. In late May 2007, two months after the second set of sanctions was passed, it was – not surprisingly – confirmed that Iran was still not complying, which paved the way for discussions on a third round of measures. But rather than quickly moving to a resolution on stepped-up sanctions, the dynamics of the international approach to Iran has begun to change, and in a manner that will very likely be to Iran’s clear advantage.