The news this morning is that "Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold nuclear fuel for Iran's nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council." Russia is also urging Iran to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and to "freeze uranium enrichment." A "senior European official" is quoted as saying, "Fundamentally, the Russians don't want a nuclear Iran."
Well, better late than never, I suppose. Let's just hope that the Russians stick to their guns on this one. If they do, it will significantly increase the pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program, and thus significantly reduce the chances of any sort of military strike on Iran, with all its potential for economic, policital, and military chaos. Ultimately, there's not one actor in the international community that wants Iran to have nuclear weapons. The question is, can the unanimous will of the international community overcome the strong desire by Iran's hard-line leaders to pursue nukes? We will see in the coming weeks and months. Let's hope Iran backs down, that negotiations begin, and that this crisis is defused once and for all.