- 19 December 2008
- 0 Comments
- Diplomacy, Nuclear file, Persian Gulf

Former weapons inspector Hans Blix, an interview with ABC News, had some interesting things to say about the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program.
According to Blix, demanding that Iran suspend enrichment before negotiations is ‘silly’
ABC News: From the latest IAEA report on Iran, what did we learn about the state of their nuclear program?
Hans Blix: Not very much new. It said that [the IAEA] cannot confirm that there is intent about nuclear weapons. But they’ve never been able to do that … however much they search and don’t find anything, that isn’t going to change the attitude in Washington or London. They’ll say, maybe they don’t have intention now but they could change in two months’ time.
ABC: Are you concerned by Iran’s intent?
Blix: The commission that I headed took the view that it is desirable to persuade Iran to walk back from the enrichment program because it has already increased tensions very much. Western powers came out and said they could facilitate investments and economic relations, we can support them to get into the World Trade Organization, we believe in civilian nuclear power industry. But first they must suspend enrichment. I’m skeptical about this last point, the conditionality. For Iran, the building up of the program is the trump card. And who throws away the trump card before the game starts? So I think that conditionality is silly.