Perilous
Times
Britain fears new Cold War over Iran
AFP
February 18, 2012 10:59AM
IRAN'S nuclear ambitions could trigger "a new Cold War" more
perilous than that between the West and the Soviet Union, British
Foreign Secretary warned.
William Hague said Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb would spark an
atomic arms race between rival Middle Eastern nations that could
be more dangerous than the original Cold War because the old
"safety mechanisms" are missing.
"If (the Iranians) obtain nuclear weapons capability, then I think
other nations across the Middle East will want to develop nuclear
weapons," he told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"The most serious round of nuclear proliferation since nuclear
weapons were invented would have begun with all the destabilising
effects in the Middle East," he continued.
"And the threat of a new Cold War in the Middle East without
necessarily all the safety mechanisms... would be a disaster in
world affairs."
Iran faces four sets of UN sanctions and a raft of unilateral US
and EU sanctions designed to halt a programme the West fears
conceals a drive for nuclear weapons.
Tehran denies this charge, saying its nuclear project is for
purely peaceful purposes.
In response to feverish speculation in recent weeks that Israel is
preparing to mount a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear
programme, Hague said Iran being "attacked militarily" would have
"enormous downsides".
"We are very clear to all concerned that we are not advocating
military action," he told the Telegraph.
"We support a twin-track strategy of sanctions and pressure and
negotiations on the other hand."
"We are not favouring the idea of anybody attacking Iran at the
moment," he added."
Earlier Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the
European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton voiced
cautious optimism about the prospect for Iran to return to stalled
nuclear talks with six world powers.
In a February 14 letter to Ashton, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator
Saeed Jalili said Tehran is ready to resume talks at the
"earliest" opportunity as long as the six powers respect its right
to peaceful atomic energy.