Saturday’s talks in Istanbul between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are testimony to the power of diplomacy backed by the threat of force. Just as a creative diplomatic initiative is required to prevent a calamitous conflict, no one should doubt that Tehran is coming to the table reluctantly, and under extreme duress. Sanctions of unprecedented breadth and depth are raising the cost of Tehran’s defiance of the Security Council’s demands.
伊朗和聯合國安理會(UN Security Council)五個常任理事國加上德國14日在伊斯坦布爾舉行會談,展示了以武力威脅為后盾的外交斡旋。正如阻止災難性沖突必須發起創造性外交行動一樣,誰都不應懷疑,伊朗是在極端的脅迫下不情愿地走上談判桌的。伊朗所遭受的制裁范圍之廣、程度之深,史無前例,加重了它反抗安理會命令的代價。