Unwavering is the adjective that best describes Iran’s nuclear ambitions; it also describes the United Nation’s attitude towards nuclear non-proliferation; Lastly, it describes China’s indifference to the entire situation.
After reports of Iran seeking to further enrich its uranium stockpile from about 3% to 20%, allegedly for civilian energy benefits, the United States and other Western powers, along with Russia, called for tighter trade sanctions. The US-led sanction against Iran has halted to a standstill with China putting its economic ties with Iran ahead of its political duties to the UN. However, lest we are quick to blame China for Iran’s continued ambitions, context is key to better understand the “nuclear” situation.
- Uranium is widely available on the commodity markets for trading “under UN supervision”
- 90%+ enriched uranium is weapons grade (nuclear bomb)
- Russia has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear arsenal, many of which are poorly secured
- Corporations that trade in uranium contracts hold the physical assets of uranium
- Politically volatile countries such as India, Israel, and Pakistan refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty without imposed sanctions by the UN
There is clearly Western paranoia at play here and I must agree with China that the sanctions are ineffective and unfair to a country like Iran who’s true intentions are not fully known. Nuclear Non-Proliferation is unrealistic, especially with the known energy benefits from nuclear technology and the fact that political power is closely aligned with military power. The United States and the UN must first focus on fully securing Russia’s nuclear stockpiles, which are more of a threat to global security than Iran’s pursuit of advanced nuclear technology; secondly, uranium can not continue to be a profitably-traded commodity, with which investors and traders have physical access to. For example, after Lehman Brothers became insolvent, a majority of their uranium assets remained unsold as prices continued to decline. If Lehman Brothers were to be a smaller and less regulated company located in a different country with such assets, corruption would be inevitable as profits would easily be accessible to via black markets. As long as uranium continues to remain a for-profit commodity, a country, like Iran, will always have access to it.
The hypocrisy and favoritism that exists within the UN and among allied countries in regards to nuclear non-proliferation is perverted. Unless the US and Russia get serious about completely eliminating (not reducing) their nuclear stockpiles (which is highly unlikely), Iran has the right to further pursue its nuclear ambitions.