Washington Favors Economic Pressure on Iran – State Dept. RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED February 04, 2012 The United States believes there is still time to pursue diplomacy and economic sanctions in search for ways to stop Iran from developing its nuclear program, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. Washington is becoming increasingly concerned about alleged Israel’s plans to strike Iran within the next six months as a military action against Tehran and Iran’s response could harm the U.S. economy and have serious implications for the upcoming U.S. presidential election. “We believe there's still time and space to pursue diplomacy and to allow the sanctions that are in place - and again, these are unprecedented sanctions that I think everyone agrees are having a chilling effect on the Iranian economy - allow them to take hold,” Toner said at a news briefing on Friday. At the same time, Toner said the Obama administration has no doubt that Iran poses a threat to both Israel and the international community as a whole. “We are consulting closely with all of our partners internationally, but certainly including Israel, to address that threat,” he said. The U.S. Senate Banking Committee approved on Thursday a sweeping package of tough new sanctions intended to force Iran to drop its controversial nuclear program. The new sanctions, which have yet to be approved by the U.S. Congress, target foreign banks that handle transactions for Iran's national oil and tanker companies, as well as foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies that do business with Iran. They also include measures that directly target individuals and companies linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Western nations suspect Iran, which is already under four sets of UN Security Council sanctions, of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but Tehran insists it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes. Other news: IAEA Delegation Arrives in Iran to Discuss Nuclear Program The IAEA delegation is led by Herman Nackaerts who is in charge of the Iran nuclear file. Prokhorov Suggests Moving Skolkovo to Kaliningrad In my view, the hi-tech hub should not be constructed in Moscow. I suggest moving Skolkovo to Kaliningrad. Rosatom Managers Sacked, Fined over Corporate Party According to the Dozhd TV channel, the corporation paid 12.5 million rubles (about $400,000) for the New Year’s bash. |
Hero of the day Iran views of its nuclear issue It is difficult to say what will happen next, especially since the international community is split into two opposing camps on this issue. This article will analyze both of them, also taking into account the situation in Tehran. INTERVIEW
Georgy Toshinsky OPINION
Konstantin Bogdanov |