The effecitveness of yesteday’s statement made by the United Nations Security Council will be measured on how it is perceived by the Iranian government.  In that case, the statement was a complete failure.

The state-run Iranian newspaper IRNA calls the statement “non-binding.”  The statement was in fact non-binding and was little more than a public scolding and an expectation Iran complies with the international community.  It was written primarily by England and France, though they had to make numerous changes to the statement because of Russian and Chinese pressure.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran has a right to pursue nuclear technology.  He doesn’t take into consideration the Security Council statement clearly said peaceful nuclear energy and technology was fine but that they could guarantee Iran was not trying to militarize the nation’s nuclear program.

The state-run news agency ISNA reported that the Iranian Foreign Minister rejected the 30-day deadline set by the Security Council for Iran to halt all enrichment activities as an “injustice” and a “double standard”.

There really isn’t a double standard, but when applied to how Iran has framed this entire debate there is.  Iran doesn’t see the strict wording of peaceful and military uses of nuclear technology and they have proceded through the negotiations only on the grounds their nuclear program is peaceful.  The IAEA remains unconvinced, and it is this doubt that cause the United Nations Security Council to act.  Iran cannot and will not remove any doubt not because they don’t believe they have to, but because doing so would partially vindicate what the IAEA and the international community has been saying all along, that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.