As Washington considers backing the European Union's proposal for trade benefits for Iran, troubling revelations emerged this week about Tehran's continued mislead-and-cheat tactics to hide the extent of its nuclear weapons program. The International Atomic Energy Agency revealed earlier that the clerical regime had refused the inspection of the Parchin military site near Tehran. It also reported that Iran has started building a heavy-water reactor near the central city of Arak. Further, the Associated Press reported that Iran has constructed deep underground tunnels to store its nuclear components. While the EU -- led by France, Germany, and Britain -- pursues a futile policy of appeasement cloaked under "engagement" with Iran's mullahs, there are signs of fissure among the EU's Big 3. A senior Iranian official in Tehran told the Financial Times that while France was "open and understanding of Iran's position," Germany was "confused" and Britain was "taking a greater distance over the past 20 days." Indeed, France has for all practical purposes turned into Tehran's No. 1 backer in the EU. A few days after President Bush pledged to the Iranian people in his State of the Union address that "As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you," the French government banned a previously authorized peaceful rally organized by the dissident Iranian diaspora in Paris. It was not just a banned rally, but a story about the inner strength of a nation yearning for freedom under the yoke of religious tyranny.