Progress? US briefs Israel on upcoming sanctions against Iran
Haaretz reports that the Obama administration officials who were in Israel this past week briefed the Israeli government on proposed sanctions against Iran (Hat Tip: Save the GOP). New sanctions would mainly aim to significantly curb Tehran's ability to import refined petroleum products. Despite its huge crude oil reserves, Iran has only limited refining capacity, so it imports large quantities of refined products such as gasoline.Color me unimpressed.
Jones and his team reported that a bill by Senator Joe Lieberman to curb sales of refined oil products to Iran is almost complete, and 67 senators have already signed it.
The Americans are proposing financial sanctions such as banning insurance on trade deals with Tehran, which would make it difficult for Iran to trade with other countries. They also want to impose sanctions on any company that trades with Iran and use this to pressure other countries, mainly in Asia, to resist making deals with Iran.
In the next stage, the Americans will consider even harsher sanctions, such as banning Iranian ships from docking in Western ports and, as a next step, banning Iranian airplanes from landing in Western airports.
The first set of sanctions originates from Congress and not from the Obama administration. It will likely pass Congress with or without the Obumbler's help, and a veto would cause his already plummeting poll numbers to go through the floor.
As to the second and third sets, the fact that they are not all part of the same package shows that the Obama administration still has no sense of urgency to stop Iran. The first stage would go into effect late this year, and the later stages would likely go into effect after Iran already has the bomb. The Obama administration is going through the motions to say that they tried, but the reality is that the effort is half-hearted.
The Obama administration has no interest in stopping Iran. It is going to be up to Israel to stop Iran by itself.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:12 AM
1 Comments:
The sanctions are unlikely to have an effect on a regime that doesn't care what its people think. For the mullahs, getting the bomb is showing it to the effete Great Satan and its lapdog the reluctant Little Satan that shows no sign either of a willingness to take on Iran.
What could go wrong for the mullahs?
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