Sanctions losing effect on Iran: US Congress research arm

H.R.A. · May 10, 2013

Well, this is a report from your politicians and media not Iranian propaganda. Sanction could have some advantages!

WASHINGTON - The Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan research arm of the US Congress, has released a report questioning the efficacy of US efforts to dissuade Iran from developing its nuclear program through sanctions

While noting that the sanctions have been objectively harsh on the Iranian regime, CRS says that the regimen has roundly failed not only in dissuading Iran from curbing its nuclear program but also in hindering the Islamic Republic¹s ability to develop weaponry indigenously, illegally ship arms overseas to the Assad government, or alter its policy of repression against those who dissent from government authority

The economic ramifications have been real and punishing: oil sales from Iran have halved, the country has experienced a dramatic decline in GDP and collapse in currency, and the government's operating budget is in flux such that it can't seem to pay many of its bills. But protests against these changes have not come to pass, emboldening the government to continue on its nuclear path, CRS claims

"The strategic effects of sanctions might be abating as Iran adjusts to them economically and advertises the adverse humanitarian effects," the report charges. "Sanctions do not appear to have reduced Iran's influence or strategic capabilities in the Middle East." Government affiliates are bartering through front companies as a response, and wealthier citizens have turned to real estate as the rial has effectively collapsed.

"Traders are using informal banking exchange mechanisms and, benefiting from the fall in the value of Iran's currency, sharply increasing non-oil exports such as agricultural goods, minerals, and industrial goods," CRS reports.

"Some argue that Iran might even benefit from sanctions over the long term by being compelled to diversify its economy and reduce dependence on oil revenues," the report adds
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http://www.jpost.com/Iranian-Threat/News/Think-tank-questions-effectiveness-of-Iran-sanctions-312540
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/09/302661/bans-losing-effect-on-iran-us-think-tank/

waltky · Jun 1, 2013

Granny says, "Well gee, wonder why - great mystery ain't it?...

U.S. tightens screws on Iran's economy
May 31st, 2013 - The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran on Friday in an effort to further squeeze its crippled economy and pressure Tehran into curbing its nuclear ambitions.

The latest Treasury Department action targets the petrochemical industry, Iran's second-highest source of revenue after oil production, which is also under sanctions. Treasury targeted eight companies under the authority of an executive order signed by President Barack Obama last year to stem the flow of money that can be diverted to Iran's nuclear program. Western powers believe Iran is aiming to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran says its intentions are peaceful. Obama's order put companies and other governments on notice the United States would eventually target Iran's petrochemical sector. Friday's action was the first enforcement of that aspect of the directive.

Treasury also sanctioned companies and individuals from Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates that lease and sell aircraft to two Iranian airlines the United States says is involved in illicit activities to fund and support Iran's elite Quds Force. The Quds Force has been implicated by the United States and other governments for its role in plotting or carrying out terrorist operations both in American and around the world. "Today's actions take aim at revenues from Iran's petrochemical sector, as well as deceptive schemes Iran has employed in an effort to evade sanctions on its oil sales and its airlines," David Cohen, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

Additional sanctions against companies in Cyprus and Ukraine were also announced for their role in helping Iran evade sanctions on its sale of petroleum as part of a clandestine effort to replenish its coffers. "We will continue to work with our partners around the world to ensure that the sanctions pressure on Iran builds so long as Iran continues to defy its obligation to comply with its international obligations," Cohen said.

Talks between the United States, and the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Germany and Iran that are aimed at getting Tehran to curtail its nuclear ambitions are currently stalemated. The Treasury also issued an order on Thursday that allows for the export of certain personal communications equipment from the United States to help Iranian citizens circumvent censorship and other efforts by the regime to stifle free speech. In a conference call with reporters on Friday, a senior Obama administration official highlighted what the United States sees as an "alarming trend" of Iran, and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, to expand destabilizing efforts in Syria and elsewhere.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/31/u-s-tightens-screws-on-irans-economy/
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U.S. lifts ban on phones, other electronics to Iranians
May 30th, 2013 > The United States lifted a ban on exports of certain personal communications equipment and software to Iranians on Thursday and sanctioned Iranian government, military and judicial officials for their alleged roles in suppressing freedom of expression.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license that allows for U.S. citizens to send more sophisticated communication gear not readily available to Iranian citizens within their country. It also serves as an effort to work around Iranian government censorship of communications, and allow for greater communication with people outside Iran.

The license would not extend to any aspect of the Iranian government, or to any individual or entity already sanctioned by the United States government. Specifically, the license allows for the export or re-export of certain mass market communication devices like smartphones, satellite phones and satellite dishes. It would also cover anti-virus software to better assist efforts to combat government attempts to place malware on personal computers as a form of censorship.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the State Department. "As the Iranian government attempts to silence its people by cutting off their communication with each other and the rest of the world, the United States will continue to take action to help the Iranian people exercise their universal human rights, including the right to freedom of expression," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

The State Department also imposed visa restrictions on nearly 60 Iranian government officials who it said have participated in human rights abuses of Iranian citizens. The officials include government ministers, a deputy chief of staff to Iran's supreme leader, officials from the military and intelligence sectors, as well as judiciary and prison officials. Thursday's actions expand on an initiative begun by the Obama administration in 2010 to expand Internet freedom in countries with a high degree of government supported censorship and repression.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/30/u-s-lifts-ban-on-phones-other-electronics-to-iranians/
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waltky · Oct 3, 2013

Granny says, "Dat's right - sanction the schlitz outta `em fer Ammerjabberjab's past sassiness...

New sanctions likely despite thaw in US-Iran ties
Oct 2,`13 WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. lawmakers from both parties have expressed a willingness to give President Barack Obama's outreach to Iran a chance to end to Tehran's nuclear standoff with the West, but at the same time they are crafting tough new U.S. economic sanctions to further isolate the Islamic republic.

Obama's phone call last week to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was a groundbreaking conversation. It was the first contact in more than 30 years between the leaders of the two countries and an about-face from when Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, included Iran in his "axis of evil" with North Korea and Iraq. Obama wants Rouhani to prove that he's willing to curtail some of his country's uranium enrichment activity, which many believe is being used to give Iran nuclear weapons capability.

Rouhani said Wednesday in Tehran that Iran is open to discussing "details" of its nuclear activities to reach a deal with world powers. He emphasized Tehran's longstanding position that Iran has a fundamental right to enrich uranium, a key ingredient of nuclear weapons that Iran says it needs for peaceful purposes. But his statement was a veiled hint that Iran is open to negotiate on the level of uranium enrichment as part of a deal in return for lifting of sanctions. "Iran's enrichment right is not negotiable, but we must enter into talks" to see what the other side proposes, he said in remarks after a meeting with his Cabinet. Rouhani said Iran had drawn up a "precise plan" to present later this month at the next round of talks with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.

The U.S. engagement with Iran, meanwhile, is straining relations with Israel, a key American ally. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech Tuesday at the United Nations that the new Iranian president was conducting a "charm offensive." Iran and Israel see each other as arch enemies. Tehran does not recognize the Jewish state, and supports anti-Israeli militants like Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas. But while Israel is reaffirming its hard-line stance against Iran, the sentiment in Washington's political circles has softened.

Five years ago, Obama the presidential candidate was hit with criticism for suggesting talks with the Iranians without preconditions. Then during his re-election campaign, Obama was called weak on Iran. Now, even leading Senate hawks, including his 2008 opponent, John McCain of Arizona, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have backed Obama's careful engagement effort. They say it is worth testing Iran's seriousness even if they're skeptical about Rouhani's new course of moderation and disdainful of Tehran's human rights record and alleged support for terrorism.

MORE
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Rouhani: Iran to discuss nuke details, not rights
Oct 2,`13 -- President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran is open to discussing "details" of nuclear activities including the enrichment of uranium, hinting that the Islamic Republic is willing to broaden the terms of negotiations with world powers. He spoke shortly after receiving support from a wide range of legislators for his policy of reaching out to the West.

Rouhani emphasized Tehran's longstanding position that its fundamental right to enrich uranium, a key ingredient of nuclear weapons that Iran says it needs for peaceful purposes, is not up for discussion. But his statement was a veiled hint that Iran is open to negotiating on the level of uranium enrichment as part of a deal in return for lifting of sanctions. Rouhani was elected this summer with the backing of centrists and reformists, pledging a new approach to relations with the West. During a visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly last week, he held a historic phone conversation with President Barack Obama, a gesture aimed at ending three decades of estrangement between the two countries.

In his remarks Wednesday after meeting with the Cabinet, Rouhani said Iran has drawn up a "precise plan" to put on the table at the next round of talks with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany in Geneva later this month. "Iran's enrichment right is not negotiable but we must enter into talks to see what would the other side proposes to us about the details," he said. Uranium enrichment is a technology that can be used to produce nuclear fuel but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in nuclear weapons. The U.S. and its allies fear that uranium enrichment could be used in developing a nuclear weapons capacity. Iran says its program is peaceful and geared toward generating electricity and producing isotopes to treat cancer patients.

Foreign ministers of Iran and the six-nation group - the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - met in New York last week in a first meeting since Rouhani was elected president in June. The next round of talks will be held Oct. 15-16 in Geneva. Rouhani has reached out to the West, hoping that his policy of moderation and easing tensions with the outside world will lead to a nuclear deal. Over 230 lawmakers, out of a total of 290, signed a statement Tuesday to endorse Rouhani's policy of détente and interaction, signaling that he enjoys support from both moderates and conservatives within the ruling establishment.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, has supported a strategy of "heroic flexibility" in foreign policy, opening the way for Rouhani's outreach. Rouhani reiterated Iran's pledge that it's not seeking nuclear weapons, and that it will keep its nuclear facilities open to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group. "This is our principle: to keep doors of our nuclear facilities open to IAEA inspection," he said. "We have nothing to hide. Our record is clean and our hands are open." Iran is living under U.N. sanctions as well as tough U.S.-led oil and banking sanctions that have slashed oil exports by half and shut Tehran out of the international financial system.

Rouhani said he was not surprised to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing anger at Iran's "charm offensive." Netanyahu on Tuesday called Rouhani "a wolf in sheep's clothing" and accused the leader of being "a loyal servant of the regime" who has done nothing to stop Iran's nuclear program since he took office in June. "Such remarks show that we are moving in the right direction," Rouhani said. "When Israel sees that its sword doesn't work and that wisdom has prevailed in the world and that the Iranian people's message of peace is heard . they definitely get angry."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-02-18-08-24
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H.R.A. · Oct 3, 2013

Rouhani said he was not surprised to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing anger at Iran's "charm offensive." Netanyahu on Tuesday called Rouhani "a wolf in sheep's clothing" and accused the leader of being "a loyal servant of the regime" who has done nothing to stop Iran's nuclear program since he took office in June. "Such remarks show that we are moving in the right direction," Rouhani said. "When Israel sees that its sword doesn't work and that wisdom has prevailed in the world and that the Iranian people's message of peace is heard . they definitely get angry."
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Yes, Israelis are angry the same as Arab regimes puppet leaders and our friends in Syria or Iraq or Oman are happy for that. It seems that we are going in the right way.

Margot2 · Oct 3, 2013

H.R.A. said: ↑

Well, this is a report from your politicians and media not Iranian propaganda. Sanction could have some advantages!

http://www.jpost.com/Iranian-Threat/News/Think-tank-questions-effectiveness-of-Iran-sanctions-312540
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/09/302661/bans-losing-effect-on-iran-us-think-tank/
Click to expand...

No they aren't .. Iranian oil production is at an all time low.. Their tankers are parked and being used for oil storage and they are importing gasoline.

JDC2408 · Oct 3, 2013

And yet it always comes back to the point that who are you to tell others they cannot have something that you yourself have possessed for half a century. Nuclear arms have no place in today's world but as long as the so called world powers and Israel possess and modernize them and bully others that do not conform to their ideology then nothing is going to change. Good luck with that unilateral action. That's a bunch of imperialist rhetoric that generally only hear from Israel and the US. Enough already, they've really got you righties by the you know what, but you'll never wake, all hope is lost for you.

Pregnar Kraps · Oct 3, 2013

Margot2 said: ↑

No they aren't .. Iranian oil production is at an all time low.. Their tankers are parked and being used for oil storage and they are importing gasoline.
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Why so?

MGB ROADSTER · Oct 4, 2013

JDC2408 said: ↑

And yet it always comes back to the point that who are you to tell others they cannot have something that you yourself have possessed for half a century. Nuclear arms have no place in today's world but as long as the so called world powers and Israel possess and modernize them and bully others that do not conform to their ideology then nothing is going to change. Good luck with that unilateral action. That's a bunch of imperialist rhetoric that generally only hear from Israel and the US. Enough already, they've really got you righties by the you know what, but you'll never wake, all hope is lost for you.
Click to expand...

At present technology, every wierdo can open countless email addresses, and register by new names..

JDC2408 · Oct 4, 2013

MGB ROADSTER said: ↑

At present technology, every wierdo can open countless email addresses, and register by new names..
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Thoughtful!

DrewBedson · Nov 16, 2013

JDC2408 said: ↑

And yet it always comes back to the point that who are you to tell others they cannot have something that you yourself have possessed for half a century. Nuclear arms have no place in today's world but as long as the so called world powers and Israel possess and modernize them and bully others that do not conform to their ideology then nothing is going to change. Good luck with that unilateral action. That's a bunch of imperialist rhetoric that generally only hear from Israel and the US. Enough already, they've really got you righties by the you know what, but you'll never wake, all hope is lost for you.
Click to expand...

They've saved hundreds of millions if not billions of lives so I would say they have a very valuable place in the world today as it stands.

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