When the International Atomic Energy Agency referred Iran to the U.N.

When the International Atomic Energy Agency referred Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program, the mullahs responded by barring snap IAEA inspections and announcing their intention to resume large-scale uranium enrichment. The Iranian defense minister, meanwhile, warned that "any attack against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities will meet a swift and crushing response." Such bluster is no doubt motivated in part by a perception that the West is irresolute. How else could the West be perceived after three years of fruitless negotiations designed more to avoid confrontation than to win concessions, ongoing signals from European diplomats that sanctions won't be imposed anytime soon, and agreement among the Security Council's permanent members to postpone debate on Iran until at least March? Perhaps the Security Council will surprise us by living up to its name and confronting Iran seriously. But America and its allies need to keep other options on the table.