Keep U.S. From Attacking Iran

After Iraq, I can't credit why anyone in the U.S. would get behind the Bush administration's desire for war against Iran.

But, gee, there is still a year before the next election and that is plenty of time to get into another war, have more civilian and military casualties, further devalue the dollar against other currencies, spend billions and billions more on the military, causing a huge debt with nothing to show for it except death, destruction, and at the end, probably civil war (jus

.

Here is an article from the Tuesday, September 18, 2007, World section, Toronto Star, page AA3:

UN NUCLEAR CHIEF TELLS IRAN CRITICS TO COOL 'HYPE'

Vienna - The chief UN nuclear inspector urged Iran's harshest critics yesterday to learn from the Iraq invasion and refrain from "hype" about a possible military attack, saying force was an option of last resort.

Mohamed ElBaradei also called on nations critical of his last-ditch effort to entice Iran into revealing past nuclear activities that could be linked to a weapons program to wait until the end of the year - when the deadline for Iran to provide answers runs out.

"By November or December we will be able to know if Iran is acting in good faith or not," he said, suggesting that was the time to think of tougher diplomacy if needed - but not military action."

ElBaradei, speaking outside a 144-nation meeting of his International Atomic Energy Agency, invoked the example of Iraq in urging an end to the threats of force against Iran - most recently by France.

"I would not talk about any use of force," said ElBaradei, noting that only the Security Council can authorize such action.

"I do not believe at this stage that we are facing a clear and present danger that require we go beyond diplomacy," ElBaradei said, adding that his agency had no information "the Iran program is being weaponized."

"We need not to hype the issue," he told reporters.

On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned the world should prepare for war if Iran obtains nuclear weapons.

He said European leaders were considering their own economic sanctions against the Islamic country.

Kouchner, on RTL radio, said that if "such a bomb is made ... we must prepare ourselves for the worst."

Associated Press