US officials from the Senate and the House of Representatives finalised a sanctions bill Monday to further squeeze Iran’s dominant oil industry. The proposed legislation has yet to be passed by the two parliamentary chambers, but if successful it is hoped that the latest sanctions, in addition to those already implemented by the US and the EU, would encourage Iran to desist from its disputed nuclear weapons programme.
However, America’s continued trust in the efficacy of sanctions was compromised as US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledged that international sanctions already in force have failed to achieve their desired objectives.
Speaking ahead of his visit to Israel this week, where the issue of Iran’s nuclear activity is likely to feature very highly in his talks with Israeli leaders, Panetta admitted that Iran has yet to abandon its nuclear ambitions, but expressed hope that increased pressure would force the regime to “do what’s right”.
Despite Israeli ministers cautioning the international community in the last week that time is running out for its preferred course of diplomacy and sanctions, Panetta claimed that “these sanctions are having a serious impact in terms of the economy in Iran”, whose oil industry is the world’s third largest.
“And while the results of that may not be obvious at the moment, the fact is that they have expressed a willingness to negotiate (with western powers) and they continue to seem interested in trying to find a diplomatic solution,” he added.
During a visit to Israel by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that “we have to be honest and say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian program by one iota”.
EU-backed sanctions on Iran’s oil industry came into effect on July 1, just days after a first set of US sanctions on countries trading oil with Iran’s central bank were implemented. Ahead of the sanctions coming into force, Iranian foreign minister called on the international community to reconsider the economic squeeze, insisting it was a “politicised” move that showed western powers were “on the wrong track”.
Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini reiterated the regime’s defiance, insisting international sanctions would not cripple its economy and affect its policy decisions:
“They (the West) explicitly say they need to increase pressures, tighten sanctions to force Iranian authorities to reconsider their calculations,” he told Iranian state tv. “But a look at the facts leads us not only to avoid reconsidering our calculations, but to move on our intended path with greater confidence.”
His comments came after Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed there are currently 11,000 active centrifuges in Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, as opposed to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) estimated 10,000, suggested enrichment is at higher levels than previously thought.
It’s widely thought that Panetta’s visit to Israel is timed to preach constraint to the Israeli government over its deliberations over making a pre-emptive strike on Iran. The US administration has sought to maintain cooperation with Israel throughout the diplomatic process with Iranian officials.
Speaking from Tunisia on Sunday, Panetta claimed he didn’t believe Israel had “made any decisions with regards to attacking Iran”. Whilst he acknowledge Israel’s sovereign rights to defend itself against the perceived Iranian threat to its security, he said the US and Israel had “developed a very close relationship with regards to dealing with threats in the region including dealing with Iran”.

EJP