Iran should allay world's fears

Let's put aside for the moment that Washington does not have any problems with a country in the Middle East having nuclear weapons provided that country is Israel, and no sanctions will ever be discussed against Israel.

The real issue concerning Iran's nuclear programme is openess, accountability. Iran has a right to develop a peaceful, domestic, nuclear energy capability. It has argued that it wants to export oil to earn foreign currency and use nuclear energy for domestic purposes. That is a valid argument. What worries neighbours and the international community is that there is a vagueness about Tehran's programme that lends itself to the suspicion that Iran may want to develop nuclear weapons.

This is the crucial point being discussed by representatives from the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia who are meeting in London to discuss the possibility of limited sanctions against Iran. The officials were discussing the next moves in the nuclear standoff after months of talks between the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, failed to bring about a breakthrough.

The international community as represented by the London conference believes that Iran is being less than honest about its nuclear ambitions. Iran, on the other hand, believes that it is being bullied and is a victim of blatant double standards. It is a sure recipe for accusations to fly.

Sanctions, clearly, will not work. There is nothing that the London conference could come up with that would halt Iran's nuclear programme. It may delay it, it may set it back months or years, but it will not stop it. The only way to resolve this issue is through dialogue and diplomacy, by keeping channels of communication open. There are, and can be, no other options.