A New 'Terror Pot' That May Be Kept Boiling For Now

Tehran has threatened to quit the NPT and vowed to continue with its N-programme

- SHASHI SHEKHAR

The 12-day aerial duel between Iran and Israel may have paused, but the region is far from being peaceful. And statements made by the two leaders key to resolving the crisis—US President Donald Trump and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—leave little room for hopes of a quick resolution. On Friday, Trump said that if Iran continued with its uranium enrichment programme, America will bomb it again. A day before, Khamenei had vowed that if America attacked Iran again, it should be prepared to face severe punishment. Iran is now hell-bent on pursuing its nuclear plans.

Israel had attacked Iran claiming that the latter was close to developing a nuclear bomb and would soon become a permanent threat to its existence. It also said the Khamenei regime was unpopular and, in effect, an organization of terrorists filled with religious hatred.

America jumped into this conflict with no moral or strategic rationale. And what did the 12-day conflict achieve? Unconfirmed reports suggest that Iran still has 400kg of enriched uranium, which can be converted into nuclear weapons in a few weeks. As for Khamenei, he's firmly in the saddle and has chosen his successor. Both Iran and Israel have made claims of victory, but nobody knows the real extent of losses on either side.