January 13, 2012

Iran Inviting IAEA Is Not A Surprise

Just to show a typical type of lie in U.S. reporting on Iran. Iran is always shown as irrational or as reacting to pressure when that is only very, very rarely the case - if at all.

Jay Salomon writes in today's Wall Street Journal: Iran to Let In U.N. Atomic Inspectors

WASHINGTON—Iran agreed to host a high-level team of United Nation's nuclear inspectors later this month, Western diplomats said, a surprise development that could help to curb building tensions with the West. The diplomats on Thursday said Iran had tentatively agreed to receive a delegation from the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency headed by the agency's chief weapons inspector, Herman Nackaerts. The diplomats, who are based in Vienna, said the visit was tentatively set for Jan. 28.

Now compare those bold sections to the reality published three weeks ago:

Iran invites IAEA inspectors to visit its nuclear establishments

TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali-Asghar Soltanieh said that the Islamic Republic has invited IAEA inspectors to visit the country's nuclear establishments, the local satellite Press TV reported on Wednesday.

Oh, you do not like Xinhua quoting PressTV? How about AFP on Dec 20:

Iran invites UN nuclear inspectors: diplomats

Iran has invited the UN atomic watchdog to visit the country, but it is unclear whether inspectors would have access to sites where covert nuclear weapons activity is suspected, Western diplomats said Tuesday.

...

The United States welcomed the fact that the IAEA had been invited back, ...

So this three weeks old news is certainly not a "surprise development" nor is it just "tentatively agreed". It was an official invitation by Iran that was, as it should be, accepted by the IAEA. Salomon is trying to spread propaganda by peddling old news as "surprise". Typically - liberal interventionists, like Paul Woodward, fall for it.

Posted by b on January 13, 2012 at 19:14 UTC | Permalink

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