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Like the events of the 1930s and '40s, Ahmadinejad's quest for nuclear weapons is a situation that cries out for resolute American leadership. Last week's announcement was made in front of a full bank of television cameras and the world media. The Iranian leader portrayed it as an achievement -- a source of national pride -- and went on to warn that any attempt to prevent their nuclear progress would "cause an everlasting hatred in the hearts of Iranians."

The next day, Ahmadinejad said: "Our answer to those who are angry about Iran achieving the full nuclear fuel cycle is just one phrase. We say: Be angry at us and die of this anger."

Until now, the United States has punted the question of Iranian nukes to the United Nations and the Europeans. They have failed. For three years, the British, French and Germans have tried negotiations. But in January, the Iranians walked away from the talks. In the aftermath of Ahmadinejad's chest-thumping, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that "the Security Council will need to take into consideration this move by Iran ... to make certain that we maintain the credibility of the international community on this issue." She is wrong. The international community has no credibility on this issue.

The U.N. Security Council has given Iran a deadline of April 28 to halt its enrichment process. But International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, speaking in Tehran last week, said that there is "no great urgency in this new development." When America's U.N. Ambassador John Bolton suggested a Security Council resolution under Chapter 7 of the organization's charter, Russian ambassador Andrei Denisov said, "There is no reason for punitive measures yet."

How close is Iran to actually building a nuclear weapon? Stephen Rademaker, the assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation, said it could take as little as 16 days. Other analysts believe it could take as long as 10 years. Assuming that the longer estimate is correct is both irresponsible and arrogant. India, Pakistan and North Korea all built bombs before anyone believed they could.

We can no longer afford to deal with Tehran through intermediaries and third parties. The United States must open direct, frank discussions with the Iranians -- to convince them, like Libya, that it is not in their interest to continue the pursuit of nuclear weapons. The United States has a full quiver of diplomatic, financial, trade and military options. Carefully and quietly articulating these to Iran is a high-risk strategy -- but not as dangerous as hoping that others will do what needs to be done.

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COPYRIGHT 2005 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

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