A United Front Against Iran
Editorial: A United Front Against Iran
The New York Times
April 27, 1997
Now that a German court has found Iranian leaders responsible for the murder of Kurdish dissidents in Berlin, America no longer stands alone in condemning Teheran for exporting terrorism. The next step is to develop an effective international response to Iran's threatening behavior. Teheran is also engaged in covert plans to develop nuclear weapons and works to disrupt Mideast peace efforts. It openly flouts the most minimal rules needed to maintain international peace and security.
The European Union's decision to summon most of its ambassadors from Teheran for consultations was welcome but inadequate. Europe, more dependent on Mideast oil imports than the United States, has been reluctant to apply economic or diplomatic pressure against Iran.
Tougher measures are now in order, including tighter restrictions on military transfers and limiting the travel privileges of Iranian diplomats, many of whom abuse their status to promote terror. China and Russia, which respectively have been providing Iran with missiles and nuclear energy technology, must also be persuaded to exercise restraint.
The German court concluded that the 1992 Berlin murders had been ordered by a secretive "Committee for Special Operations" consisting of Iran's top political and spiritual leadership. That suggests that a string of other murders of Iranian political exiles and Kurdish dissidents may also have been commissioned by Iranian leaders.
The United States, which has banned American companies from trading with or investing in Iran since 1995, is the only major economic power now imposing sanctions. Europe's unwillingness to help has undermined the sanctions and unfairly disadvantaged American companies. Since the American embargo took effect, European companies have picked up America's lost business.
The European Union is set to consider its own sanctions against Iran this week. An American-style ban on trade and investments would dry up the revenues Iranian leaders use to finance terrorism and weapons buying. At the very least, Europe should consider banning sales of military-related technology and restricting diplomatic visas. Washington must also persuade Russia and China to avoid irresponsible arms and technology transfers.
Nearly two decades after the Ayatollah Khomeini swept away the Shah's pro-American dictatorship, Iran's Government is still driven by revolutionary fervor. A distorted sense of Islamic mission endangers neighboring countries and threatens perceived enemies in Europe and beyond. Sanctions will not change that attitude overnight. But the world is obliged to do all it can to minimize the multiple dangers presented by Teheran.
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