U.S. Urges Financial Sanctions On Iran

[cal04]

The Bush administration is pressing Europe and Japan to impose wide-ranging sanctions designed to stifle the Iranian leadership financially if diplomatic efforts fail to resolve an impasse over the country's nuclear program, according to internal government memos and interviews with three U.S. officials involved. Developed by a Treasury Department task force that reports directly to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the economic measures go far beyond the diplomatic pressure exerted by the Bush administration to date, both in scope of action and in objective.

The plan is designed to curtail the financial freedom of every Iranian official, individual and entity the Bush administration considers connected not only to nuclear enrichment efforts but to terrorism, government corruption, suppression of religious or democratic freedom, and violence in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories. It would restrict the Tehran government's access to foreign currency and global markets, shut its overseas accounts and freeze assets held in Europe and Asia.

The United States, which has imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran for nearly three decades, would shoulder few of the costs of its ambitious new proposal. But internal U.S. assessments suggest that the sanctions could not hurt Tehran without causing significant economic pain for Washington's friends. That calculation has made the plan a difficult sell, especially in capitals such as Rome and Tokyo, which import significant quantities of Iranian oil.

"I have been very open with people about the costs that could fall on them," said Stuart Levey, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, in a recent interview. U.S. intelligence agencies have spent months trolling through the personal accounts of Iranian leaders in foreign banks, analyzing Iranian financial systems and transactions and assessing how the government does its banking. They have calculated the amount of foreign investment at stake and even which charities have connections to the Tehran government.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/28/AR2006052800999.html

[heartofthesiskiyou]

1. Gee that

ought to help work things out, (SEE; not rying to work things out)

[americanstranger]

2. I can hear them laughing all the way from Tokyo.

Like they'll take a financial hit so Bush can get his war on.

Don't think so. These sanctions won't fly, simply put.

- as

[Erika]

3. Hilarious. W declares sanctions on Iran and Chavez

and we pay $7.00 a gallon for gas.

Iraq has also supported Iran's nuclear program.

W's foreign policy is a train wreck.

[raccoon]

12. And his domestic policy as well--or does he have one? nt

[MercutioATC]

4. Is there ONE person we could all get behind to be our spokesperson?

I'm just thinking...

If Bush said something like this and 70% of the population of the U.S. didn't agree (which seems to be the case every time he opens his mouth) it might to behoove us to have a "national spokesperson" who would concisely relate to the world what the majority of America thought was important.

I realize that this is SUPPOSED to be the job of the President, but it seems that he doesn't understand that. Until he's gone, can we hire somebody (nonpartisan) who'll just convey U.S. public opinion? I'd be willing to chip in...

[Sadie5]

5. What else

are these crooks going to try to pull? We are already a laughing stock around the world. I did notice so as not to hurt themselves they excluded oil and trade from the deal. Bush is a loser.

[MercutioATC]

7. WE are "losers"

We keep sending the same people back to Congress either because they get money for out district/state or because they're Democrats. WE do this.

The world is not laughing at our government, they're laughing at US.

[Erika]

6. Jimmy Carter is doing the job.

A good Christian man.

[MercutioATC]

8. I like what Carter's done but he's not a solution.

Is there a solution??

[Erika]

9. I don't think W can come up with one

He's already said "Bring them on" was a mistake. What does he have left?

[FreeStateDemocrat]

10. Bush Urges Additional Financial Sanctions On U.S. Working Class nt.

[raccoon]

13. You sure got that right! nt

[teryang]

11. Iran is on its way to becoming a first tier nation state

That is what the Defense (contractor/banking) establishment can't stand. It escaped the US orbit and won't come back except on its own sovereign terms. Because of the diastrous energy policy and the war in Iraq, Iranian power is augmented relative to US political and economic strength/weakness. Iran will set its own domestic and foreign policy objectives. There is nothing we can do about it without hastening our own isolation and decline.

With China and Russia committed to Iranian sovereignty and other Asian powers committed on various energy and business deals with Iran there is no turning back the clock of diastrous foreign policy and energy policy moves by the United States.

Read an interesting article recently that indicated that disabling reactor fuel enrichment is the real objective of European (E3) policy. This gives them something to export in return for oil. It's fairly evident Iran will not go along with such an "unequal treaty."