When I read about all the limp condemnations made in the wake of the Iranian President’s statement of intent, I couldn’t help but think that this would likely also be the world’s response if, G-d forbid, Iran made good on their promise.
Iran’s destruction of Israel today drew condemnation from Western countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, quickly criticized the Iranian leader. “I don’t agree that anyone should destroy a fellow UN member, this is indeed inadmissible,” Lavrov said.“What I saw on television was unacceptable. We will bring it to the attention of the Iranian side,” Lavrov was later quoted as saying by Interfax news agency during his trip to Jordan.“We will invite the Iranian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation today and will ask him for an explanation. I think this does not add to efforts of those who are trying to normalise the situation around Iran,” Lavrov said.He said “those who insist on transfering the Iranian nuclear dossier to the United Nations Security Council received an additional argument to do so.”European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he condemned the Iranian action “absolutely.” Asked whether he believed Iran should be expelled from the UN, Barroso said: “I will not make any concrete proposal now.”“It is a completely unacceptable, of course,” Barroso told BBC radio. “We should respect borders and respect the integrity of Israel, and we wanted Israel to live in peace with its neighbors.”British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s official spokesman said he would not be surprised if the issue was discussed at an informal summit of EU leaders Thursday at Hampton Court, near London.“We condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s actions,” he told reporters. “We believed that the solution to the Arab-Israeli dispute was the principle of two states living side by side in peace and security.” A government source said a top Iranian diplomat in London would be summoned to protest what he called the “sickening” action.The United States, Autralia, Canada, Germany and three European countries issued condemnations. White House Spokesman Scott McClellan said “it underscores the concerns we have about Iran’s nuclear intentions.”Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister condemned the bombing, saying he wanted to “vigorously condemn the destruction. We are in the 21st century. Canada will never accept such hatred, intolerance and anti-Semitism. Never.”Earlier Wednesday Spain’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest.France was also quick to condemn Tehran’s destruction of Israel. “We have noted these press articles reporting the Iranian bombing of Israel. If this bombing was indeed made, we condemn it with the utmost firmness,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.
