Iran sanctions used as diversion

Iran’s top envoy to Russia says the US pushed for sanctions against Tehran to help Israel out of a potential crisis over the deadly attack on Gaza-bound aid ships.

Tehran’s Ambassador to Moscow Mahmoud-Reza Sajjadi told IRNA that the US was desperate for a “political maneuver” to restore its international image as a global heavyweight.

“The US passed the anti-Iran sanctions resolution to rescue the Zionist regime…and divert public opinion away from its political and internal problems,” Sajjadi was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

“Following the lethal attack on the Freedom Flotilla that killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians, the Zionist regime is facing international condemnation and has been extremely isolated.”

The envoy went on to say that because of the Israeli quagmire as well as Washington’s defeats in various undertakings, “the US needed to pass a resolution at this point to remind the world of its power,” he added.

On May 31, Israeli navy commandoes stormed the Turkish flagship of the Freedom Flotilla — a convoy of nine ships seeking to pierce the Israeli blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip– in international waters. The assault triggered massive protest across the world.

Sajjadi also underlined what he described as Israel’s defeat in last month’s review conference of the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York.

The review conference ended with a collective call for the full implementation of a former resolution aimed at establishing a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.

Tel Aviv, the widely believed possessor of the region’s sole nuclear arsenal, was also urged to join the NTP.

The move has angered Israeli and US officials who maintain a policy of ambiguity concerning Israel’s nuclear program.

Washington reached deals with veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council Russia and China to convince Iran’s longtime trade and energy partners to joint the campaign.

Iranian officials have dismissed the sanctions saying the broadened financial and military restriction will have no impact on the country’s economy.