ElBaradei: Iran not an Immediate Nuclear Threat

The 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner and head of the International Atomic Energy Agency made some remarkable statements about the non-threat the Iran poses to the world. Mohamed ElBaradei said that Iran does not constitute an immediate threat, and that we should be cautious in how we proceed:

"Our assessment is that there is no immediate threat," the winner of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize told a forum organized by the Monterey Institute of International Studies south of San Francisco. "We still have lots of time to investigate."

"You look around in the Middle East right now and it's a total mess," he said. "You can not add oil to that fire."

I don't think I need to remind anyone who caused that "total mess" in the Middle East. We've set conditions that are far from favorable for overt action against Iran, or anyone else for that matter.

ElBaradei said he believed a majority in the Iranian leadership was still interested in a negotiated solution and normal relations with the world. The United States is pressing for tough U.N. sanctions if Iran does not comply.

"It would be terrible" to try to strengthen sanctions, which could force Iran to retaliate, he said.

"We have learned some lessons from North Korea," he said. "When you push a country into a corner, you are giving the driver's seat to the hard-liners there."

Ouch. Seeing it spelled out like that hurts me. We've made so many terrible mistakes...