Iran again plays the U.S. for a fool

Wall Street Journal

A letter by Bill Emerson

Regarding your Dec. 23 editorial "Obama's Iran Sanctions Veto": The U.S. is following the same path it did under the Clinton administration when it negotiated with North Korea on nuclear weapons. Indeed, it has the same lead negotiator in Wendy Sherman. At the end of that path was a North Korea with nuclear weapons. The difference, of course, is that the senior leadership of North Korea, unlike the senior leadership of Iran as recently as Nov. 21, was not repeating its call for the "extermination" of a member of the U.N. (Israel) to large crowds chanting "Death to America." Nor had North Korea established itself as the world's central banker and primary exporter of terrorism as Iran has done.

The pending sanctions legislation has no effect whatsoever as long as Iran negotiates in good faith. The fact that the Iranians threaten to leave negotiations if the legislation is passed gives a clear signal that they are (again) playing the U.S. for a fool.

The senators who have co-sponsored the legislation are to be commended for recognizing our peril and addressing it by strengthening the administration's bargaining position. Iran simply cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons. Recently, Iranian agents plotted to assassinate a Saudi ambassador in Washington D.C. The notion of Iran or its proxies armed with a suitcase nuke is too terrible to consider. All Americans should urge their senators to co-sponsor this legislation.

Bill Emerson

West Palm Beach, Fla.