Frustrated US seeks harsher sanctions against Iran: Report

Frustrated by the futility of their attempts to coerce Iran into giving concessions on its nuclear energy program, the US Congress presses for further anti-Iran sanctions amid American officials’ warning of the financial setbacks of additional economic restrictions.

In their dismay with the failure of a US-European bid to force Iran to concede on its nuclear energy program through a new round of expanded sanctions, some members of the US Congress have again vowed to introduce another legislative measure before its upcoming August recess to “dramatically tighten economic sanctions” against the Islamic Republic, The Washington Post reported Friday.

The call for additional legislative measure against Iran by the US Congress has been regularly advertised by the imposing American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in its official website and printed publicity advertisements mailed out to mainly Jewish citizens and other potential pro-Israeli supporters and contributors.

According to the report, the draft proposals by some Democratic and Republican members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, which they boast as intended to “deepen the pain for Iran,” would also “carry financial risks for US allies,” raising concerns among officials in the administration of US President Barack Obama regarding the economic hardship the anti-Iran move could impose on US allies as well.

In private meetings, says The Post, “White House officials have warned that overly broad restrictions (against Tehran) could prove costly for Iran’s neighbors.”

“After a while, it comes a question of ‘Who are you hurting,’ ” a congressional aide is quoted as saying in the report. “If you completely cut off Iran’s ability to make payments to some of its neighbors, that’s going to affect these countries’ enthusiasm for helping us further.”

Despite such worries among the Obama administration officials, a number of staunch Israeli supporters in the US Congress insist on further efforts to bring more economic pressure and even military action against the Islamic Republic.

“What we’ve done so far has been good, but it’s clearly not enough,” said California Democratic Congressman Howard L. Berman who sits in the House Foreign Affairs Committee that is drafting the new sanctions bill. “The pressure needs to intensify.”

The report also states that the failure of US allies to force an Iranian concession on its nuclear energy program during the recent P5+1 talks in Moscow has prompted new criticism of the Obama administration’s approach towards Iran, with some leading lawmakers calling for “more assertive policies, including explicit threats of military force.”

The influential US daily also reflects the anger and frustration among American officials for continued defiance of Iranian authorities despite the expanded US-led sanctions, citing, in particular, a Wednesday declaration by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on how the sanctions have worked in Iran’s favor.

“These days Westerners are being sensational about sanctions,” The Post quoted the Leader as saying. “But they don’t understand that they themselves vaccinated Iran through their sanctions imposed over the last 30 years.”

Meanwhile, other Iranian officials have also rejected any major impact of the US-led sanctions, further pointing to an obvious US-Israeli coordination in the P5+1 talks with the Islamic Republic on its nuclear energy program.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has further asserted that the outcome of the P5+1 negotiations with Iranian representatives are often pre-determined in meetings between American and European officials with the Israeli regime prior to the talks.

Iran and the P5+1 group — Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States plus Germany — wrapped up their latest multifaceted talks in Moscow on June 19, although technical level meetings between the two sides still continue.

At the heart of the Moscow negotiations was Iran’s nuclear energy program, with Tehran standing firm on its inalienable right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

The US administration in late March approved sanctions on Iranian crude oil sector, which penalize other countries for buying or selling Iranian crude oil.

The bans have been slapped based on the allegation that Iran is seeking to acquire a military nuclear capability.

Tehran refutes such allegations, noting that frequent inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency have never found any diversion in Iran’s nuclear energy program toward military purposes.