STOP!!! Or I'll say "stop" again!

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The European Union has warned that Tehran could face U.N. Security Council action, including possible sanctions, unless it agrees to scrap technology that can be used to make nuclear arms, according to a confidential document obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

If Iran does not agree, "We shall have no choice but to support referring Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council," the document says. (entire story)

Oooooo... that's scary for a country hell-bent on getting its grubby little fingers on the nuclear genie, isn't it? I know that U.N. sanctions worked so well with another despotic regime, because the beneficent leadership at the U.N. were willing to stand behind those sanctions and enforce them. Oops.. sorry.. wrong universe.

On second thought (and with all sarcasm aside) perhaps these sanctions will unwittingly have the "Wait til your father gets home!" effect (a tool used by an otherwise ineffective mother to discipline an unruly child). The Iranian mullahs, in the back of their mind, have got to be thinking that if they ultimately ignore U.N. Security Council resolutions (even given that the blue-helmeted U.N. is too wimpy and ineffective to enforce them), the pitbull that is the U.S. is sure to step in and take care of business. Therein lies Iran's gamble. If Iran can utilize the ineffective U.N. bureaucratic apparatus to buy enough time to acquire the nuclear genie, the U.S. will certainly think twice before stepping in. The question is, just how much time does Iran think it can buy from the U.N., while knowing that all options are still on the table? This will be an interesting display of brinkmanship. The Iranian mullahs, should their ultimate goal be to remain in power, would do well to blink first.