According to the chief of Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rohani, Iran's decision to suspend uranium enrichment is a temporary one that will only last a few months.

Iran's state run news agency quoted Rohani as saying, 'The suspension of enrichment will last only through the period of negotiations with Europe. ... Iran did not promise to stop enrichment but only to suspend it for a limited period of time,' he said. Rohani also described the suspension of uranium enrichment as 'a voluntary gesture to build confidence.'

The goal of negotiations with Europe, according to Rohani, is 'getting guarantees from European countries that Iran will be able to have nuclear activities for peaceful purposes and that Europe will cooperate with Tehran in that regard.'

The United States again stands alone in requesting tougher sanctions against Iran. The European Union accepted the temporary suspension of uranium enrichment while President Bush has favored sanctions against Iran. Bush included Iran in his 'axis of evil' along with North Korea and Iraq. These nations were named as supporting world wide terrorism and opposing U.S. interests.

Israel also has strong fears of Iran's Islamist state getting access to nuclear weapons. Israel took unilateral action against Iraq's nuclear weapons program when it bombed a reactor that was being built by Saddam Hussein in 1981. The world condemned the action at the time but it later proved to be a very wise pre-emptive move by the Israelis. Iran has repeatedly threatened Israel with longer range conventional missiles and other weapons.

'The Islamic republic has not renounced the nuclear fuel cycle, will never renounce it and will use it,' Rohani said. It remains to be seen what actions President Bush will take in response to the latest revelations from Tehran.