France’s Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has stated on French television and radio that the world needs to prepare for a war with Iran over its nuclear energy program. “We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war,” he said. Kouchner also stated that French companies have been advised not to undertake new work or contracts in Iran. France wants the EU to back new sanctions against Iran outside of the UN Security Council, despite the fact that Iran is enriching far less uranium than previously thought.

Since there is absolutely no evidence that Iran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon, the French minister was reduced to talking in hypotheticals by saying that it would be a “real danger for the whole world” if Iran possessed a nuke. Reiterating France’s commitment to battle this unverifiable threat, Kouchner said that “we will not accept that the bomb is manufactured.” He hinted at military action, but insisted that such plans were far away. Sayed Mohammed Mirandi, a political analyst at Tehran University, said; “Most doubt that there will be any military conflict because the US is in enough trouble as it is in Iraq. The new French government seems to be taking the place of the former British government…acting as Bush’s poodle.”

As a signatory to the NPT, Iran has every right to pursue nuclear power. Because of this right, Iran has failed to comply with UN Security Council resolutions ordering the state to suspend its uranium enrichment. Following Kouchner’s statement, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview, “Of course we will not step back. The West is talking about imposing sanctions on us, but they cannot do this.” Yet, just as with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the US and its allies are not concerned with what the opposing party is entitled to under international law – but what concessions that party will make to appease the world’s only superpower which has the leverage to enforce its own framework for debate.

The five permanent Security Council members, along with Germany, will be discussing a new draft for a UN resolution on the 21st of this month to impose sanctions on Iran. Kouchner’s comments come after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said last month that diplomacy was the only alternative to “an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran.” Sarkozy is taking a harder stance on Iran than his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who correctly stated that Iran would still not be a threat, even if they did have a nuclear bomb. Defense Secretary Gates of the US maintains that “all options are on the table” in regards to Iran.

President Ahmadinejad will arrive in New York on the 24th to attend the United Nation’s 62nd General Assembly session. Ahmadinejad is expected to deliver a speech to the General Assembly and meet with other heads of state and Iranian-Americans during his two day visit. During last year’s session, the Iranian president slammed the US and Britain, two permanent members of the UN Security Council, for “committing crimes” in Iraq and Afghanistan. He argued that the Security Council itself had no legal validation since it was composed of criminals. From New York, Ahmadinejad is expected to head to Venezuela to meet with America’s favorite leftist leader (as if we’ve ever known one we didn’t try to kill) Hugo Chavez.

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