It has been a rough week for the Middle East. As violent protests continue over the printing of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, the already tense political climate got worse Tuesday with Iran's announcement that it resumed small-scale uranium enrichment efforts at its Natanz nuclear facility last week.
The announcement was the latest in a series of setbacks in the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has tried to halt Iran's nuclear plans until further investigations of Iranian nuclear facilities are possible.
On Feb. 4, after the IAEA reported Iran to the UN Security Council, Iran immediately responded by ending its cooperation with IAEA snap inspectors and calling off a potential uranium enrichment deal with Russia.
One can understand why both Iran and the West are angry. Iran, on the one hand, has the right to enrich uranium to develop a civilian nuclear energy program as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - provided it undergoes inspections by the IAEA.
For the most part, Iran has complied with the IAEA and maintains that the Atayollah Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwah against the development of nuclear weapons. Iran feels it should have the right to determine the destiny of its people through peaceful nuclear energy, and this belief seems justified on paper.
But there are several reasons why much of the world fears Iran's enrichment efforts.
Iran had deceived nuclear inspectors for 18 years prior to 2003, when it finally announced that it had a secret nuclear program. This alone is reason enough to doubt Iran's sincerity when it claims a peaceful desire for nuclear capabilities.
Then there are hostile statements like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent diatribe about "wiping Israel off the map" - wonder what weapon he would want to use?
Finally, there is the fact that once Iran achieves the ability to enrich uranium for fuel purposes, it is just a short step away from being able to manufacture warheads.
David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, told the Christian Science Monitor that Iran would only need a 25 percent greater investment of time and money to enrich uranium for weapons purposes.
While Iran and the West seem to be at loggerheads on this issue, the Russian uranium enrichment deal is a promising alternative.
Under the proposed plan, which Iran and Russia are scheduled to discuss on Feb. 20, Iran would be permitted to enrich uranium for fuel purposes in a facility on Russian soil.
Iran would get the fuel to run its reactors - assuming that is what the country wants - and the rest of the world would get the peace of mind of regular inspections in a neutral setting.
This is an ideal solution for everyone, but particularly for Iran. If Iran accepts the Russian plan and halts its in-house nuclear development, it would send a message to the West that it is willing to make some serious concessions and that it is not seeking to develop an atomic bomb.
This in turn could produce a number of opportunities for Iran, such as increased trade and foreign investment.
In addition, Iran would put itself in a position to negotiate its nuclear program in the years to come, having already shown its peaceful intentions.
If, on the other hand, Iran chooses to continue its uranium-enrichment program and rejects Russia, it may face sanctions from the UN and its economy will surely suffer.
Once you break down the situation, the only real reason for Iran to continue uranium enrichment and reject Russia is to save face and not appear weak in front of its people. But is Iran's leadership's fear of appearing weak really valid?
The Iranian people no doubt already believe their leaders are strong-willed and will not bow down to the U.S. or any other country.
Staying the course would affirm this belief, but would accomplish nothing else.
Iran must break the mold in this situation not only for its own sake, but for that of the world.
