Strategic Assessment

To date the crisis regarding the Iranian nuclear issue has been postponed, at least temporarily. Prior to November 2004 Iran was subject to considerable European pressure regarding its nuclear program, backed by a threat to send the matter to the Security Council, which would have to decide whether or not to impose sanctions on Iran for the violation of its commitments to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). As a result of this pressure Iran was forced to retract its public decision of May 2004 to continue uranium enrichment, a decision that undermined a previous commitment to the European governments to suspend these activities.