Here are significant events related to the controversy over Iran's nuclear program in recent years, as well as some events judged to have had an indirect influence, particularly with regard to domestic politics in Iran and the relationship between the US and Iran. All of this material is from the Chronology section. See the Links section for relevant external links.

22 JULY 1998

Iran, research

Iran test-fired its Shahab 3 MRBM. Iran claimed the test was successful; the US claimed the missile travelled 100 seconds before malfunctioning. Range of the Shahab 3 is 1,290-1,500km; circular error probable (CEP) is estimated at about 4,000m (JIR, 09/1998).

17 FEBRUARY 2000

Iran, politics

Parliamentary elections were held. Reformist candidates advocating greater political freedoms and some relaxation of strict Islamic law scored a decisive success, winning a large majority of seats (Reuters).

17 MARCH 2000

United States, foreign policy

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in a speech to the American Iranian Council, announced that the US would terminate economic sanctions against Iran's non-oil exports. The "principal sanctions" banning imports of Iranian oil and investment in Iran's oil and gas industry would remain until Iran stopped it's support of terrorists and its alleged efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD) (Reuters).

The US has had an adversarial relationship with Iran since the latter's Islamic revolution in 1979. Albright cited the major success of reformist candidates in Iran's parliamentary elections on 17 February as the justification for the change in US policy. She also called for advancing the claims settlement process and facilitating unofficial contacts between the two countries (NHJL 17/03/2000).

APRIL 2000

Iran, civil affairs

Conservative elements of the government banned numerous pro-reform newspapers and voided several results from the February parliamentary elections (Reuters).

15 JULY 2000

Iran, research

Iran flight-tested the Shahab-3 MRBM. Range is reportedly 808 miles (Reuters).

12 MARCH 2001

Diplomatic affairs

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. They discussed military sales to Iran and economic cooperation (Reuters).

8 JUNE 2001

Iran, politics

A Presidential election was held. President Mohammad Khatami received 21.7 million of the total 28.2 million votes, or about 77%, according to official figures. His nearest rival was former Labor Minister Ahmad Tavakoli with 4.4 million votes. Khatami said his first priority was to foster democracy, but that "principles should be coupled with patience, moderation and prudence" (Reuters).

11 SEPTEMBER 2001

United States

A major terrorist operation killed 3,018 people, most of whom were civilians, in New York City and elsewhere. The World Trade Center was destroyed and the Pentagon, near Washington, D.C., was heavily damaged.

Terrorists hijacked four airliners -- two from Boston, one from Newark, and one from Dulles near Washington, D.C. At least 266 people were on board the planes. At 0846 local time, one of the airliners crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. At 0903 a second airliner crashed into the south tower. Massive fires started in the structures, resulting in the collapse of the south tower at 0959 and the north tower at 1029; 2,749 people were killed as a result.

About 0930, the airliner from Dulles crashed into the Pentagon, starting major fires which were later put out, and causing a section of the building to collapse. 224 airline passengers, crew members and Pentagon workers were killed.

The fourth airliner crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing 45. According to the 9/11 Commission report released three years later, the terrorists crashed the plane after passengers attempted to break into the cockpit.

In the months leading up to the attacks, President Bush reportedly received intelligence that Saudi exile Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist organization appeared to be planning new terrorist operations. Apparently there was no definite information on the time, place or method of such operations. Bin Laden, at the time living under the protection of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, denied involvement in the attacks on the US. However, the US soon blamed al Qaeda for the attacks, saying that 3 of the 19 hijackers were associates of bin Laden, and that bin Laden had urged his close associates to return to Afghanistan by 10 September because a major operation was planned. Al Qaeda appeared to have publicly accepted responsibility for the attacks in the following year.

The 9/11 Commission report cited a CIA estimate that it cost al Qaeda $30 million per year before the ‘9/11' attacks to sustain its activities and that most of this money was raised through donations. The ‘9/11' attacks themselves cost al Qaeda around $400,000-$500,000 over two years to plan and prepare. The report’s findings contradicted the view held roughly before 2002 by many analysts that bin Laden used a considerable personal fortune to finance operations. Bin Laden was born into a wealthy Saudi family, and there have been indications that he received $1 million per year from 1970 to 1994. But in 1994 he was effectively cut off from at least the bulk of that money by a Saudi government crackdown.

There was widespread condemnation of the attacks from foreign governments, including those of Libya, a longtime US adversary, and Iran, with which the US does not have diplomatic relations, as well as the Taliban. Iraq dissented, saying the US had gotten what it deserved (Reuters).

1 JUNE 2002

United States, foreign policy

In a speech to the West Point graduating class, President Bush spoke of the threat of terrorism and the danger of weapons of mass destruction in their hands or those of US adversaries. He said, "In the world we have entered the only path to safety is the path of action and this nation will act", and that Americans must be "ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives....We will defend the peace against threats from terrorists and tyrants. We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers. And we will extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent" (Reuters).

28 FEBRUARY 2003

Iran, politics

In local elections, reformists suffered a major reverse as conservative candidates swept council seats in major cities. The 49 percent turnout was lower than expected (Reuters).

18 JUNE 2003

United States, foreign policy

President Bush said, "The international community must come together to make it very clear to Iran that we will not tolerate construction of a nuclear weapon" (Reuters). Iran, as a signatory to the NPT, is entitled to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and is subject to IAEA inspections. IAEA director Mohammed ElBaradie had recently reported that Iran "failed to report certain nuclear material and activities" but was making amends.

Iran has admitted seeking to develop the infrastructure, possessed by many advanced industrial countries, for a complete nuclear fuel cycle, but has denied developing nuclear weapons or intending to do so. The US has accused Iran of such an intention.

The US and many other countries have called on Iran to acceed to the IAEA's Additional Protocol which provides for a tougher inspection regime.

21 JULY 2003

United States, foreign policy

President Bush, talking about the possibility for progress in the Middle East, said, "Today Syria and Iran continue to harbor and assist terrorists. This behavior is completely unacceptable and states that support terror will be held accountable" (Reuters).

12 SEPTEMBER 2003

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution calling for Iran to "provide accelerated cooperation and full transparency" regarding efforts by the agency to verify non-diversion of nuclear material to a weapons program. There has been no concrete proof of research and development by Iran for a nuclear weapon. However, the IAEA has not been completely satisfied with Iran's diligence in accounting for nuclear material or with it's explanation for the agency's discovery of weapon-grade enriched uranium at an enrichment facility at Natanz.

The resolution calls on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment related activities and to take certain actions by the end of October. These include: "providing a full declaration of all imported material and components related to the enrichment programme, especially imported equipment and components stated to have been contaminated with highly enriched uranium particles...", "granting unrestricted access, including environmental sampling, for the Agency to whatever locations the Agency deems necessary...", "resolving questions regarding the conclusion of Agency experts that process testing on gas centrifuges must have been conducted in order for Iran to develop its enrichment technology to its current extent" and doing anything else "deemed necessary by the Agency to resolve all outstanding issues involving nuclear materials and nuclear activities..." It also requests Iran to acceed to the additional protocol to IAEA safeguards, which entails a more intrusive inspection regime (www.iaea.org/worldatom, Reuters).

21 OCTOBER 2003

Diplomatic affairs

The British, French and German foreign ministers and the Iranian government, following a meeting in Tehran to discuss Iran's nuclear program, issued a declaration. Iran agreed to suspend uranium enrichment and acceed to the Additional Protocol to the NPT; the Europeans held out the prospect of "easier access to modern technology and supplies in a range of areas" (Reuters).

23 OCTOBER 2003

Iran

The government gave the IAEA the declaration the agency had asked for regarding Iran's nuclear activities (Reuters).

26 NOVEMBER 2003

Diplomatic Affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution which said Iran had taken the specific actions requested of it in the Board's 12 September resolution. But Iran's disclosures had revealed that it "failed in a number of instances over an extended period of time to meet its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with respect to the reporting of nuclear material, and its processing and use, as well as the declaration of facilities where such material has been processed and stored....Iran enriched uranium and separated plutonium in undeclared facilities..." It welcomed an apparently more cooperative attitude by Iran toward addressing suspicions about its nuclear program (www.iaea.org).

18 DECEMBER 2003

Diplomatic affairs

Iran signed the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) (Reuters).

19 DECEMBER 2003

Libya, military affairs

Libya said it would abandon its WMD programs and allow unconditional inspections. It revealed that it had given US and British officials access to its research in preceeding months. It appeared at the time that Libya had an ambitious nuclear weapons development program in violation of its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. According to US and British officials, it had some chemical weapons stocks, but there was no direct evidence of any biological weapons programs.1

Libya's decision demonstrated a desire to improve relations with the US and western Europe. It also led to discoveries about a nuclear arms supply network apparently run by Pakistani scientist Abdul Khan. Khan later confessed to selling nuclear materials to North Korea, Iran and Libya, though many think he could not have done so without the cooperation of many in the Pakistani political and military leadership.

In March 2004 US officials revealed details of the Libyan program. They said the Libyans first met Khan in Istanbul in the late 1990s. The Khan network was soon providing a variety of goods and services, from centrifuges to on-site training, and eventually became the principal supplier of technology, equipment and know-how. Libya was apparently in the early stages of producing weapon-grade fissile material, and could have eventually produced enough for several nuclear weapons per year.

The Khan network stretched across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. According to IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei, it was a "supermarket" for countries wanting nuclear weapons. US officials said there are other nuclear suppliers as well.2

13 MARCH 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution on Iran which, while saying that Iran has been cooperating with the Agency, criticizes the country for certain ommissions and calls on it to improve its cooperation with the Agency.

The resolution said that "the declarations made by Iran in October 2003 did not amount to the complete and final picture of Iran's past and present nuclear programme considered essential by the Board's November 2003 resolution, in that the Agency has since uncovered a number of omissions -- e.g., a more advanced centrifuge design than previously declared, including associated research, manufacturing and testing activities; two mass spectrometers used in the laser enrichment programme; and designs for the construction of hot cells at the Arak heavy water research reactor..." The "more advance centrifuge design" referred to is the P-2, believed to have been acquired from Pakistan (see 19 December 2003). The resolution said Iran has not resolved outstanding issues, such as "questions regarding the development of its enrichment technology to its current extent" and "the issue of LEU and HEU contamination at the Kalaye Electric Company workshop and Natanz..." (www.iaea.org)

21 APRIL 2004

United States, foreign policy

President Bush, speaking of Iran, said, "It would be intolerable to peace and stability in the Middle East if they get a nuclear weapon, particularly since their stated objective is the destruction of Israel....The development of a nuclear weapon in Iran is intolerable. And a program is intolerable. Otherwise they will be dealt with, starting through the United Nations” (Reuters).

29 NOVEMBER 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution calling on Iran to resolve unanswered questions about its nuclear program.

The resolution noted that “Iranian practices up to October 2003 resulted in many breaches of Iran’s obligations to comply with its Safeguards Agreement, but that good progress has been made since that time in Iran’s correction of those breaches and in the Agency’s ability to confirm aspects of Iran’s current declarations..." It stated the Agency’s assessment “that all the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and that such material is not diverted to prohibited activities, but that the Agency is not yet in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran...” The resolution welcomed “the fact that Iran has decided to continue and extend its suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities...” Iran had in recent weeks agreed to this continuation after negotiations with Britain, France and Germany. While the resolution recognizes that the suspension “is a voluntary confidence building measure, not a legal obligation”, it was widely understood during the negotiations that if Iran had failed to continue it, Iran could have been referred to the UN Security Council.

The resolution said that the implementation of the suspension “is essential to addressing outstanding issues....in particular the origin of contamination and the extent of Iran’s centrifuge programme, as well as the full implementation of Iran’s Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, with a view to providing credible assurances regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran...” (www.iaea.org, CNN.com).

20-25 FEBRUARY 2005

Diplomatic affairs

US President Bush visited Europe, meeting most of the region’s heads of state. On the 21st, in Belgium, he gave a speech in which he reiterated his view that supporting the spread of democratic political systems and movements, particularly in the Middle East, was the most important thing that the US and its European allies could do to ensure international peace and security. He called on Europeans to provide greater support to the fledgling US-inspired regime in Iraq, and called on Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. He said that “for Russia to make progress as a European nation, the Russian government must renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law”, and stressed that “the United States and all European countries should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia.”

On the 22nd, he met with NATO leaders, who agreed to increase training assistance for Iraq’s military.

On the 23rd, Bush met German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Mainz. After their meeting, Schroeder said, "We absolutely agree that Iran must say no to any kind of nuclear weapon -- full stop."

On the 24th, Bush met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia. They discussed US concerns about Russia’s democratic development and its nuclear cooperation with Iran, but also agreed to increase cooperation on certain security issues (CNN.com, BBC).

11 MARCH 2005

Diplomatic affairs

The foreign ministers of Britian, France and Germany or the ‘EU-3', the countries attempting to persuade Iran to permanently suspend uranium enrichment and fully cooperate with the IAEA, publicly stated that if “Iran does not do so, then as has been implicit in the agreements reached with Iran and well understood by all concerned, we shall have no choice but to support referring Iran’s nuclear programme to the U.N. Security Council.” The US had pushed for that step to be threatened. Later that day the US dropped its objection to Iran’s application for membership in the World Trade Organization, something the Europeans had pressed for (CNN.com).

28 APRIL 2005

Russia, foreign policy

During a visit to Israel, President Vladimir Putin commented on Iran’s nuclear program, saying, “It's necessary for our Iranian partners to reject the creation of nuclear cycle technology and not to hinder placing all its nuclear programs under complete international control” (AP).

5 JUNE 2005

Iran

The government announced it was extending its suspension of uranium enrichment through the end of July (AP).

17-24 JUNE 2005

Iran, politics

The first round of a presidential election was held on the 17th. Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani came in first place with about 21% of the vote, with Tehran mayor Mahdi Ahmadinejad a close second (AP). In the runoff on the 24th, Ahmadinejad won 61.6% of the vote. Turnout was reportedly about 63% in the first round and 49% in the runoff. The elections were criticized by reformists in Iran and by the West on the grounds that many candidates were prevented from running and for some alleged voting irregularities.

Ahmadinejad has said that "Acquiring peaceful nuclear technology is the demand of the whole Iranian nation” and that Iran should take a tougher negotiating stance in its talks with the West (CNN.com).

8 AUGUST 2005

Iran, research

The government announced it was restarting the Isfahan facility for uranium conversion (but not enrichment). The ‘EU-3' – Britain, France and Germany – had recently made a proposal to Iran which would have essentially given Iran considerable assistance with its civilian nuclear program and other incentives in return for Iran giving up the pursuit of mastery of the complete nuclear fuel cycle. Iran rejected the proposal, with senior negotiator Hussein Mousavian saying Iran would under no circumstances "barter its right to the enrichment process" (CNN.com).

11 AUGUST 2005

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution calling on Iran to “reestablish full suspension of all enrichment related activities”. The resolution reiterated that implementation of the suspension is essential to resolve outstanding issues, which “have yet to be resolved...the Agency is not yet in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran...” Director General ElBaradei is to report on Iran’s compliance with its NPT Safeguards Agreement and this latest resolution by 3 September (www.iaea.org, CNN.com).

24 SEPTEMBER 2005

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution finding Iran to be in noncompliance of its Non-proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement and requiring Iran to be reported to the UN Security Council at an unspecified date in the future.

The resolution repeated the Agency’s standing concerns over Iran’s past failure to meet obligations under its NPT Safeguards Agreement and uncertainty over Iran’s motives in “pursuing a policy of concealment up to October 2003". It again stated that good progress had been made in Iran’s correction of the breeches but that “the Agency is not yet in a position to clarify some important outstanding issues after two and a half years of intensive inspections and investigation and that Iran’s full transparency is indispensible and overdue...” The resolution recalled the “emphasis placed in past resolutions on the importance of confidence building measures”, particularly the voluntary suspension of uranium enrichment related activities, and deplored Iran’s failure to heed the Agency’s call in August to re-establish the suspension and “to heed repeated calls to ratify the Additional Protocol and to reconsider its decision to construct a research reactor moderated by heavy water, as these measures would have helped build confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme...”

The resolution “Finds that Iran’s many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply with its NPT Safeguards Agreement, as detailed in GOV/2003/75, constitute non compliance in the context of Article XII.C of the Agency’s Statute...” The “absence of confidence that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes have given rise to questions that are within the competence of the Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security...” The resolution urges Iran to “implement transparency measures...which extend beyond the formal requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol”, to re-establish the suspension of enrichment-related activity, to “reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water” and to “ratify and implement in full the Additional Protocol...” (www.iaea.org)

10 JANUARY 2006

Iran, research

The government announced it was resuming some nuclear research at its enrichment facility at Natanz. In the following days there was a barrage of international criticism of the move. Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, said Iran did not want to get into uranium enrichment on a large scale and that its activities are for research purposes only (AP, CNN.com).

17 JANUARY 2006

Israel, foreign policy

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in reference to an alleged nuclear weapons program in Iran, said that "Under no circumstances, and at no point, can Israel allow anyone with these kinds of malicious designs against us [to] have control of weapons of destruction that can threaten our existence" (CNN.com).

4 FEBRUARY 2006

Diplomatic affairs, Iran

The IAEA Board of Directors passed a resolution reporting Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities.

The resolution acknowledged “the inalienable rights of all the Parties to the Treaty [the NPT] to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of the Treaty...” But it also reiterated that Iran is a “special verification case”, that confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's program had been lost as a result of Iran's “many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply with its NPT Safeguards Agreement” in the past and the “history of concealment” of its activities, and that this lack of confidence continues because of the lack of “full transparency” from Iran and indications of research not of a peaceful nature.

The resolution calls on Iran to resume its voluntary suspension “of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities”, “reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water”, resume compliance with the Additional Protocol, and “implement transparency measures...which extend beyond the formal requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, and include such access to individuals, documentation relating to procurement, dual use equipment, certain military-owned workshops and research and development as the Agency may request...” This would enable the Agency “to resolve outstanding issues and reconstruct the history and nature of all aspects of Iran's past nuclear activities...”

Most significantly from the standpoint of possible international action, the resolution “Requests the Director General to report to the Security Council of the United Nations that these steps are required of Iran by the Board and to report to the Security Council all IAEA reports and resolutions, as adopted, relating to this issue...” (IAEA).

Iran, foreign policy

In response to the IAEA resolution, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered, as required by law, the termination of all cooperation with the IAEA beyond the basic Safeguard Agreement, meaning that nuclear programs are to resume without restriction and impromptu inspections of nuclear facilities are to end. Javad Vaeedi, an official with the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, said, "This resolution is politically motivated, since it is not based on any legal or technical grounds" (CNN.com). Ahmadinejad has said Iran does not want to be dependent on other countries for its nuclear fuel.

16 FEBRUARY 2006

France, foreign policy

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said, "No civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear program. It is a clandestine military nuclear program.... The international community has sent a very firm message in telling the Iranians to return to reason and suspend all nuclear activity and the enrichment and conversion of uranium, but they aren't listening to us....Now it's up to the Security Council to say what it will do, what means it will use to stop, to manage, to halt this terrible crisis of nuclear proliferation caused by Iran." In response, Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, said, "We want civilian nuclear energy, we don't want to have the bomb....Concerning nuclear arms, we are a responsible country” (CNN.com).

5 JUNE 2006

Diplomatic affairs

A package of incentives, agreed upon by the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, was proposed to Iran in return for Iran suspending uranium enrichment and returning to negotiations on its nuclear program. The incentives reportedly included: 1) improving Iran's access to the international economy through participation in groups such as the World Trade Organization (WTO); 2) modernizing Iran's telecommunication industry; 3) possibly lifting restrictions on the sale of civil aircraft to Iran; 4) support for a civil nuclear power program in Iran and construction of light water power reactors. Iran would have to participate in an international facility in Russia which would provide uranium enrichment services for the supply of fuel for Iran's reactors. Iran said it would study the proposal (CNN.com).

31 JULY 2006

Diplomatic affairs

The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding that Iran halt uranium enrichment by 31 August. Until now, all parties had recognized that any suspension of enrichment by the Iranians was a voluntary confidence-building measure, albeit one which the West required before it would negotiate with Iran on its nuclear program. The resolution also called on all states "to exercise vigilance" in preventing the transfer to Iran of items which could be used for its enrichment and ballistic missile programs. The IAEA was told to report back to the Council by 31 August on compliance with the resolution. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Javad Zarif, said the resolution had no legal basis and that "All along it has been the persistence of some to draw arbitrary red lines and deadlines that has closed the door to any compromise” (AP).

21 AUGUST 2006

Diplomatic affairs, Iran

IAEA inspectors were reportedly refused access to a nuclear facility in Natanz, Iran.3

23 DECEMBER 2006

Diplomatic affairs, Iran

The UN Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1737 which placed some sanctions on Iran for continuing to enrich uranium. The resolution ordered members to stop supplying Iran with materials and technology which could contribute to its nuclear and missile programs, and it froze Iranian assets of 10 companies and 12 individuals related to those programs. The resolution said that if the IAEA verifies that Iran has suspended enrichment and reprocessing, the sanctions will be suspended to allow for negotiations.

Following the vote, the US said it did not think the resolution was enough, while Russia and China stressed the use of sanctions as a means to bring about the resumption of negotiations. Iran said it would continue enrichment, and Iran's U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif criticized the Security Council for punishing Iran, a country which was pursuing its rights under the NPT, while doing nothing about Israel (AP, CNN.com).

11 JANUARY 2007

Diplomatic affairs

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing. Afterwards, Olmert said, "China made it absolutely clear that it opposes Iran going nuclear, in the sense of obtaining nuclear bombs" (Reuters).

21 MARCH 2007

Iran, foreign policy

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referring to the conflict with the U.N. over Iran's nuclear program, said, "Until today, what we have done has been in accordance with international regulations. But if they take illegal actions, we too can take illegal actions and will do so....The Iranian nation needs nuclear energy for life, not weapons" (AP).

24 MARCH 2007

Diplomatic affairs, Iran

The UN Security Council unanimously approved additional sanctions against Iran for continuing its uranium enrichment efforts. The resolution initiated an embargo against Iranian weapons exports, barred nations and international banks from making new loans to Iran and froze the assets of 28 additional individuals and groups involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs (CNN.com).

26 MARCH 2007

Diplomatic affairs

Chinese President Hu Jintao met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Afterward they said Iran should comply with U.N. demands over its nuclear program and that the dispute should be resolved “exclusively through peaceful means.” Regarding China-Russia relations, Hu said, "The strengthening of the strategic cooperation between Russia and China ... is very important from the point of view of a multi-polar world and the democratization of the international relations." Putin said, "We intend to extend our partnerships in all areas....The development of trade and economic relations remains the priority" (AP).

16 SEPTEMBER 2007

France, foreign policy

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that European countries should consider sanctions outside the UN framework if Iran continues uranium enrichment and that “We should prepare for the worst.” Asked what that meant, he said, “That is war, sir.” (CNN.com)

9-10 OCTOBER 2007

Europe, diplomatic affairs

French President Nicolas Sarkozy met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Iran's nuclear program was apparently a major topic of discussion. At the end of the visit Putin said, "We are sharing our partners' concern about making all Iranian programs transparent." Sarkozy said, "Our positions moved much closer together." (AP)

25 OCTOBER 2007

United States, foreign policy

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, announced economic sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and other Iranian military and financial entities.

In the Treasury Department statement, the US alleged the Quds Force is Iran's “primary instrument” for providing “weapons and financial support to the Taliban” rebels in Afghanistan. The alleged weapons include mortar and rocket ammunition, small arms and “probably man-portable defense systems...”

The statement also provided details of Iran's longstanding support of anti-Israel militants, saying the Quds Force provides Hezbollah with “guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support." Hezbollah "has reportedly trained" more than 3,000 of its fighters at Revolutionary Guard training facilities in Iran, and the Quds Force has provided roughly $100-200 million in funding per year to Hezbollah and helped it rearm after its 2006 campaign against Israel, according to the statement. The Quds Force also allegedly provides “material support” to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. (CNN.com)

7 NOVEMBER 2007

France, foreign policy

In a speech to the US Congress, President Nicolas Sarkozy, regarding Iran's nuclear program, said, "Let me say it here before all of you: The prospect of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons is unacceptable....The Iranian people is a great people. It deserves better than the increased sanctions and growing isolation to which its leaders condemn it. Iran must be convinced to choose cooperation, dialogue and openness. No one must doubt our determination." (CNN.com)

Notes

1. Tabassum Zakaria, "Secret U.S. Trips to Libya Led to Weapons Pledge", Reuters (www.reuters.com), 20 December 2003.

2. Adam Entous, "Libya Paid Pakistani $100 Million in Nuclear Deals -- US", Reuters (www.reuters.com), 15 March 2004.

3. U.N.: Iran turns away inspectors, AP, 21 August 2006.