How to disarm Iran

    The policies of former President George W. Bush's administration did little to contain the spread of nuclear weapons. Just last week, North Korea conducted a test rocket launch over the Pacific Ocean, allegedly demonstrating the country's commitment to acquiring nuclear capabilities despite years of failed sanctions and diplomatic actions. Iran and its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have reportedly sought nuclear capabilities. The combination of sanctions and saber rattling up until this point has done little to temper Tehran's appetite for weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, we applaud President Barack Obama's decision to begin high-level multinational talks with Iranian diplomats. Only through active diplomatic engagement will the United States produce lasting results in disarming Iran.
    The talks should come as no surprise to foreign-policy observers. Obama signaled his willingness to meet with foreign leaders during his long campaign for the presidency, often to heavy criticism. His opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), criticized Obama for his expressed willingness to speak with hostile leaders and called Obama's foreign policy judgment reckless and inexperienced.
    We concede that Iran is dangerous and its leaders are despicable. Ahmadinejad has been quoted claiming the Holocaust is a lie and has made numerous other anti-Semitic comments. Iran has also made subtle and overt threats toward Israel, one of the United States' strongest allies. Republican criticism of talking to Iran, however, does little to change that Iran and other rogue nations have only increased their efforts to obtain nuclear weapons since the United States adopted hard-line tactics. Continuing to take a hard line on Tehran will only produce the same failed results. Thus, we welcome the Obama administration's desire to move past the Cold War mentality that plagues America's foreign policy.
    While the meetings are a strong first step, the talks must include good-faith bargaining. Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted in The New York Times as saying, "Our people do not like to be spoken in the language of deception or intimidation." The Obama administration must take care to ensure that Iran is treated fairly. If the talks consist only of disingenuous lectures to Iran's leaders, the country will only continue its nuclear programs.
    We also hope that the talks will also spur the United States to think about its own nuclear arsenal. It is hypocritical for America to ask Iran to disarm when the United States unabashedly maintains the world's largest nuclear arsenal. Recently, the Obama administration has signaled a willingness to talk with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev about committing both countries to reducing their respective nuclear stockpiles. We applaud this willingness and hope the talks produce a treaty that commits both sides to deep nuclear stockpile reductions.
    Lastly, part of being a leader is confronting one's friends as well as one's enemies. Although a stalwart ally of the United States, Israel has operated a clandestine nuclear operation that it neither confirms nor denies. President Obama must be clear: Israel's nuclear program threatens the stability of the Middle East. One of the reasons Iran is pursuing its nuclear weapons is to counterbalance Israel's increasing nuclear capabilities. Only by addressing the capabilities of the United States and its allies will Iran be persuaded to disband its nuclear programs.
    Nuclear weapons are devices capable of unleashing extreme destruction. The horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be allowed to happen again. The Obama administration must work to contain nuclear arms. That means not only dissuading Iran and North Korea from continuing their nuclear programs, but also examining our own arsenal and the stockpiles of our allies.