Artists at work

A positive but still inconclusive International Atomic Energy Agency report this week on Iran's nuclear intentions just seemed to add to tensions and talk of war between Washington and Tehran. Rather than see the Iranian disclosures as an improvement over that country's past intransigence, which they apparently were, the Bush administration urged the implementation of further economic sanctions by the U.N. Security Council. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad said the report proved that Iran had been truthful about its peaceful nuclear ambitions, which was an obvious overstatement. Iran did not fully comply with IEAE demands and has placed restrictions on the agency's inspectors. The United States, Britain and France accuse Iran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons technology, while Iran says it only wants to build nuclear power plants for electricity. The Bush administration seems intent on building a case for war with Iran, so it's comments must be seen in that light. But after Ahmedinijad's speech at Columbia University early this year, we know not to believe the Iranian president says.