Israel Matzav: Iran bides for time

Iran bides for time

Iran has decided that the best way to avoid a UN vote on sanctions is to go to the UN and pretend that it might be willing to cut a deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted by state radio as saying that Iranian delegations would "visit China, Russia, Lebanon and Uganda within the next 10 days to pursue talks."

Mottaki said Iran wants direct talks with all Council members except one, with which it will pursue indirect talks. He likely meant United States since Teheran and Washington don't have diplomatic relations.

The talks halted after Iran last year rejected a UN-backed plan that offered nuclear fuel rods in exchange for Iran's stock of lower-level enriched uranium — a swap would have curbed Teheran's capacity to make a nuclear bomb.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called for "crippling sanctions" against Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapons capability.

In an interview broadcast Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Netanyahu said he worries that the international community isn't acting aggressively enough to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

The problem is that the West wants to believe Ahmadinejad. So they keep bending over backward to accommodate him.

What could go wrong?

Israel Matzav: Iran bides for time