US slaps new sanctions on Iran despite interim deal

Developing Just Leadership

Crescent International

Safar 10, 1435 2013-12-13

Daily News Analysis

by Crescent International

American hypocrisy became evident, yet again, on December 12 when the Treasury Department slapped new nuclear-related sanctions on Iran even while the Obama regime has said it would not do so. At the same time, Wendy Sherman, the top US nuclear negotiator told Congress it could impose new sanctions if they were not nuclear-related. The deal appears to have been placed in jeopardy.

Washington, Crescent-online
December 13, 2013, 11:23 EST

Two moves by the US clearly indicate that it is insincere in its approach to solving the manufactured impasse over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

Under the interim deal Iran signed with the P5+1 group of countries—the US, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany—in Geneva on November 24, Teran agreed to allow unfettered access to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors and curtail some of its nuclear activities in return for relief from some sanctions. The US agreed not to impose any new sanctions on Iran for the six-month duration of the interim deal.

On Thursday (December 12), however, both the US Treasury and State Departments announced new sanctions against a number of companies and individuals for “providing support for” Iran’s nuclear energy program.

The same day, Under Secretary at the State Department, Wendy Sherman who led the US delegation in nuclear talks with Iran, told US lawmakers that they could impose new sanctions against Iran if they were not “nuclear-related.” Sherman was testifying before the Senate Banking Committee trying to explain the interim deal.

When Senator Mike Crapo, the top Republican on the Committee, asked Sherman in the context of the different kinds of sanctions—nuclear and non-nuclear—if “assuming we can specify exactly what that is and distinguish between the different sanctions, does that mean that Congress would be free to pass other sanctions measures while we are” negotiating over a final deal over Iran’s nuclear energy program?

Sherman’s reply is revealing in how the US negotiates and reneges on its pledges immediately. “We have said to Iran that we will continue to enforce all of our existing sanctions, and we have said that this agreement pertains only to new nuclear-related sanctions,” Sherman answered.

After enforcing new sanctions, Treasury Department official David Cohen, in his testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, said the new sanctions were “a stark reminder to businesses, banks, and brokers everywhere that we will continue relentlessly to enforce our sanctions.”

Sherman said the US would not impose any new nuclear-related sanctions but Cohen did exactly that.

Both Cohen and Sherman are Jewish and hardcore Zionists. They pander to Zionist-Israeli interests more than US interests. A clear majority of Americans (56 %) favour a negotiated settlement with Iran over its nuclear program but the Zionists are adamant to prevent such a deal.

More crucially, what these latest developments indicate is that the US is completely dishonest in its dealings with Iran. They also reinforce the concerns expressed by some in Tehran that too much has been given away in Geneva and in any case the US could not be trusted at all.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who led the Iranian side in Geneva, criticised the new restrictions saying they are in total contradiction with the recent nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1. Araqchi also said that Tehran was now assessing the current situation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has also warned that new US sanctions against Iran can seriously complicate implementation of Tehran’s nuclear deal with the P5+1 countries.

“Widening American 'blacklists' could seriously complicate the fulfillment of the Geneva agreement, which proposes easing the sanctions regime,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said in a Friday statement.

END

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