Iran: Sanctions hit workers, not theocratic regime

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Thursday July 10, 2008 14:35 by pat c

Yassamine Mather analyses the likely effects of any sanctions on Iran and makes it clear that ordinary Iranians will suffer rather than the regime. Full text at link.

In the next few days the US Senate will consider what has been labelled an ‘Iran war resolution’ calling on the president to “initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities ...” The resolution calls, among other things, for the prohibition of the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products and “stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran”.

Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert who suggested the US motion to house speaker Nancy Pelosi at a recent meeting. The motion, sponsored by Aipac (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), has so far gained 208 signatories in the House and 29 in the Senate.

Adopted in December 2006, UN resolution 1737 banned trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country’s enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear-weapon delivery systems. Resolution 1747 of March 2007 further tightened the sanctions by imposing a ban on arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets.

In March 2008, the security council imposed further measures, including the inspection of cargo suspected of containing prohibited goods, the tighter monitoring of financial institutions and the extension of travel bans and asset freezes.