US INCREASES PRESSURE TO ISOLATE IRAN

UK GUARDIAN:

The US administration has embarked on a series of face-to-face meetings with world leaders at the UN summit to try to isolate Iran diplomatically over Iran's push to expand its nuclear programme. In support of Mr Bush's diplomatic drive, US officials have delivered hour-long PowerPoint briefings, entitled A History of Concealment and Deception, to diplomats from at least a dozen countries. The officials making the presentation, which includes satellite photographs of Iran's nuclear installations, admit they cannot say definitively that Tehran is covertly trying to secure a nuclear weapons capability. ... As well as security council members, Mr Bush is targeting the 35 board members of the International Atomic Energy Authority, the UN nuclear watchdog which on Monday will consider referral to the security council. The PowerPoint presentations have been held at the US mission in Vienna, headquarters of the IAEA. ... "This is a subject of grave concern, and it's something that we're spending a lot of time on in this administration. It is very important for the world to understand that Iran with a nuclear weapon will be incredibly destabilising." Nicholas Burns, US undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Iran was probably the most important issue being discussed on the sidelines of the summit.

Autumn may be approaching, but in Turtle Bay (and Vienna) : the HEAT is on! Stay tuned...