IRAN BALKS, AGAIN - AT 8:15 P.M. ET:  From AP, via The Washington Post:

TEHRAN, Iran -- A conservative Iranian legislator warned Saturday that his country may pull out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty after a U.N. resolution censuring Tehran - a move that could seriously undermine world attempts to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons.

Iran's official news agency quoted a hardline political analyst who made the same point, another indication the idea could be gaining steam.

If Iran withdraws from the treaty, its nuclear program would no longer be subject to oversight by the U.N. nuclear agency. That in turn would be a significant blow to efforts to ensure that no enriched uranium is diverted from use as fuel to warhead development.

COMMENT:  The report is significant because the legislator involved often reflects the government line. 

The story, though, is strange, and tilts leftward.  You'd think, based on what the reporter wrote, that UN efforts have been oh so successful in restraining Iran.  In fact, the success rate is zero.

Talks with Iran over its nuclear program have gone nowhere.  We are one month away from President Obama's publicly declared deadline for progress.  The UN nuclear agency's resolution censuring Iran is nice, but little more than that.  It has no teeth, no enforcing mechanism.

The president announces his Afghan policy on Tuesday, and it is likely to be opposed by the left wing of his party, which dominates the party in the House.  Then, in the fact of this same opposition, he will have to confront Iran, and that ultimately may involve military action.

The president is going to need Republican support, and that may be one of the most fascinating developments yet to come.

November 28, 2009