In a surprise move, the 27 member European Union voted to impose tough sanction on Iran aimed at its energy, shipping, insurance and financial sectors.
Ace Germany-based journalist Benjamin Weinthal has the full story in the Weekly Standard...here's a snippet:
This move comes on the heels of the U.S. Congress’s recently passed hard-hitting sanctions, aiming at Iran’s vulnerable energy sector and its IRGC. The IRGC are the hard-line Ahmadinejad loyalists who crushed the country’s pro-democracy movement a year ago.
Given the massive EU-Iranian trade relationship, the EU is uniquely positioned to leverage its economic muscles over Iran's rulers and bring the regime's financial interests to a grinding halt. EU exports to Iran totaled 14.1 billion euros in 2008, and import trade amounted to 11.3 billion euros, 90 percent of which was energy. If the EU decides to pump resources into enforcing the sanctions, the efficacy of ratcheting up the pressure might cause further labor unrest and deep social discontent. In the first half of July, probably as a result of the sanctions already imposed, powerful merchants in the Tehran bazaar went on strike. The last time roving bazaar strikes hit Iran was 1978, prompting the collapse of the Shah in 1979.
Coupled with U.S. sanctions that also target Iran’s energy and financial businesses, the EU sanctions might well be the last, best chance to stop Iran’s illegal nuclear program without the use of military force.
A lot of how effective this ends up being depends, of course, on how much the US and EU adhere to the sanctions and how much they extend them to other nations and companies in say, Russia and China that continue to supply the mullahs with the tools of the trade.
It's interesting to note that Russia and Iran have had a bit of a falling out lately over Iran's President Ahmadinejad's harsh language directed towards Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
That, and the fact that the Russians have still not delivered the S-300 anti-missiles systems to Iran. But if you remember, there's a good reason for the non-delivery that involves Israel..
1 comment:
A recent report indicates that Iranian leader Mahmoud Amadinejad expects the Americans to attack at least two countries in the Middle East in the next three months. This is obviously a bit of propaganda on the part of the Iranians for at least two basic reaons. 1.)The Americans do not have the military assets in the region to be capable of a successful attack on one country much less two countries in the region. 2.)The American people and America's "allies" would never support such an action.
Since Iran has released this, the interesting part is "two countries" are mentioned. You see we have never had to worry about an American attack on Iran. This has never been a possibility. The media has spent all this time chasing phantoms when breathlessly talking about this. While a US attack on Iran is not a serious possiblity nor has it ever been one, the constant harping on it has made it even less likely and has actually worked to undercut American defenses against an Iranian attack.
This leads to what is really going on here, that is the coming Iranian attack on American interests and probably the American mainland itself. An American attack on Iran was never going to happen and never will. What we really need to be concerned about is the coming Iranian attack on America!!
Mr. Amadinejad is laying the ground work for this with this bit of propaganda. Iran is likely planning to attack both America and Israel. America will probably be the main thrust of the attack as it is an easier target than Israel. The excuse will be that the Americans planned to attack them!!
The "sanctions" fit well into this, as well. With Aemrica out of the way the EU members can say America forced them into this action and now they have a free hand to do business with Iran. Since the EU views America as a strategic competitor, they will likely celebrate America's demise. Simply hold a brief moment of silence for the dead Aemricans and get down to business with their Iranian "partner." After all America "had it coming." At least this is the conventional wisdom.
This is all nice and neat for European elites. At least it is in the short run.
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