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Last update - 08:08 22/11/2007
U.S. demands Israel crack down on illegal Iranian pistachio imports
By The Associated Press
Tags: United Nations sanctions 

American officials are urging Israel to crack down on Iranian pistachio nut imports which are reaching Israel via Turkey despite a ban on Iranian imports into Israel.

U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Keenum said in a meeting with Israeli officials in Rome on Monday that the pistachio imports must stop, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday.

"This causes great anger, especially since pistachios succeed in coming in through a third country," Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon told Israel Radio.
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Both the U.S. and Israel have been pushing for new UN sanctionsto persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program which Iran insists is only aimed at energy production and not military use. "This has to do with the sanctions but also with the competition between American farmers and Iranian farmers, and we are trying to deal with this," Simhon added.

Simhon said a recent meeting with a senior U.S. agriculture official focused on using technology to detect the origin of pistachios. He said that would involve chemical testing to determine the climate and soil of where the nuts were grown. California is the second largest producer of pistachios in the world, according to the former California Pistachio Coalition. Iran is first.

In the mid 1990s U.S. officials pressured Israel to block the import of Iranian nuts coming through EU member states and winding up in Israel. Tensions have heightened since Iran began pursuing nuclear technology, as the U.S. has pushed the UN to implement new economic sanctions against the country until it gives up the program.

"As a proud native of the golden state (California), I think Israelis should eat American pistachios, not Iranian ones," said Stewart Tuttle, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Related articles:
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  • EU foreign ministers weigh push for new sanctions against Iran
  • Report: Washington concerned Israel gearing up to attack Iran
  • Livni to tell UN: Iran nuclear issue will not resolve itself

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    <
      1.   Is this a American joke on Israel? 20:05  |  Wendy 21/11/07
      2.   And US is for helping Qassams squads by forcing Israel to receive 20:16  |  Absolute Sweden 21/11/07
      3.   Definitely so, however US allows Syrian agricultural products 20:20  |  Genuine Tosefta 21/11/07
      4.   Is This a joke? 20:53  |  What`s in a name 21/11/07
      5.   The Dreaded Nuclear Pistachio! 21:30  |  Mark Lincoln 21/11/07
      6.   How can Americans be SO stupid! 21:33  |  Jeannine de Malta 21/11/07
      7.   Israel doesn`t like British boycott, but has its own against Iran 21:36  |  One State Solution 21/11/07
      8.   Israeli dates are sold in Morroco during Ramadan 21:51  |  Benjamina 21/11/07
      9.   I`m sure the Mullah`s are shaking from fear.... 21:53  |  David K. 21/11/07
      10.   The real reason of the Iran crisis. 21:53  |  Andreas 21/11/07
      11.   I Buy Israeli Produce All the Time 21:57  |  Persian Kitty 21/11/07
      12.   It is the only ban they can enforce 21:57  |  Ethel 21/11/07
      13.   Radical Islamic Pistachios? 22:06  |  Mark of Lewiston 21/11/07
      14.   Just wondering... 22:13  |  Joseph 21/11/07
      15.   I Agree with Persian Kitty! 22:30  |  Avram 21/11/07
      16.   Glad to see that Bush 22:37  |  Steve 21/11/07
      17.   Jeannine de Malta 22:40  |  Mark of Lewiston 21/11/07
      18.   Iran doesn`t knowingly buy any Israeli products 22:49  |  Genuine Tosefta 21/11/07
      19.   HALIBURTON AND IRAN 22:51  |  Iskander 21/11/07
      20.   Are the pistachios good?! 22:54  |  Esther 21/11/07
      21.   Inability of State Dept. imbeciles to focus on important issues.. 22:55  |  Dr. L. Brnd 21/11/07
      22.   Crack down should start here in the US 22:56  |  jamshid 21/11/07
      23.   Persian Kitty-# 11- 23:01  |  Daniel Leopold 21/11/07
      24.   LOL @ The TERROR NUTZ 23:24  |  POP 21/11/07
      25.   WHATS IT TO THEM? 23:25  |  Nephtaly 21/11/07
      26.   #7 23:26  |  Moshe 21/11/07
      27.   To Jamshid 00:04  |  Persian Kitty 22/11/07
      28.   #16 steve 00:21  |  wh 22/11/07
      29.   Radical Islamic Pistachios? - Mark of Lewiston 00:29  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/07
      30.   Why ban all nuts? 01:14  |  Axel 22/11/07
      31.   There Is Nothing More Delicious Than Iranian Pistachios 01:16  |  Eli 22/11/07
      32.   # 13 mark 01:20  |  Axel 22/11/07
      33.   To Daniel Leopold 01:22  |  Persian Kitty 22/11/07
      34.   Iskander # 19 - I Personally Know Of Haliburton 01:36  |  Eli 22/11/07
      35.   I Hope They Don`t Ban Iranian Cantaloupes Or Iranian 01:43  |  Eli 22/11/07
      36.   It`s Not The Pistachios Bush Is Worried About 01:48  |  Eli 22/11/07
      37.   pistachio 01:50  |  Farmer John 22/11/07
      38.   To Steve from Minneapolis #16 01:50  |  Persian Kitty 22/11/07
      39.   Ban Nutty Politicians 01:51  |  Double Click 22/11/07
      40.   The big ban! 01:56  |  Omran 22/11/07
      41.   On the banks of the River Jordan 02:13  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/07
      42.   To Eli from Berkeley 03:00  |  Persian Kitty 22/11/07
      43.   They Dont Care If Jews Die by Omlet`s & Hamas Hitlers Policy 03:38  |  robin 22/11/07
      44.   Pistachio Ban 03:52  |  Osama Daneshyar 22/11/07
      45.   To Eli from Berkeley 04:25  |  Persian Kitty 22/11/07
      46.   Using technology to determine the "origine" of... 04:28  |  ManintheMIddle 22/11/07
      47.   Persian Kitty 04:32  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/07
      48.   Iranians do have the best pistachios in the world 04:35  |  anti-racist 22/11/07
      49.   Iskander - Halliburton 04:39  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/07
      50.   It`s the Pistacchio stupid 04:40  |  Mario 22/11/07
      51.   Nuts! 05:17  |  jjvanka 22/11/07
      52.   It`s Hard to Believe That Israel Buys Iranian Products 05:18  |  MIKE 22/11/07
      53.   Eat my nutts! 05:30  |  Eli hader 22/11/07
      54.   YOURE JOKING! PISTACHIO NUTS!! 05:41  |  I.A. 22/11/07
      55.   This whole affair is... 05:43  |  R 22/11/07
      56.   To Mark Lincoln 05:43  |  Persian Kitty 22/11/07
      57.   to Benjamena 05:47  |  I.A. 22/11/07
      58.   Going nuts about Iran 08:36  |  Cynic #2 22/11/07
      59.   #57 I.A. 09:03  |  Benjamina 22/11/07
      60.   Of pistachios and the bomb. 09:41  |  Steve the Pals. 22/11/07
      61.   America! What`s wrong with our Pistachio?? 09:56  |  Elinor from Iran 22/11/07
      62.   My God, America reaches for the nuclear option 10:19  |  Clickfool 22/11/07
      63.   If a shipment is leaving Iran for Turkey, blow it up 10:24  |  Efox 22/11/07
      64.   what about a ban on Chatul Parsi ? Impossible 10:26  |  Elinor from Iran 22/11/07
      65.   WE WILL BUY IRANIAN PISTACHO...DELICIOUS! 10:27  |  TrippleJump 22/11/07
      66.   It`s Not The Pistachios I`m Worried About 10:49  |  Yosemite 22/11/07
      67.   What happened to the article of Rice planning peace in 1 year? 10:54  |  Daniel 22/11/07
      68.   To # 54 oh this is great I laughed heartily 10:59  |  Suad 22/11/07
      69.   Usrael kindergarten 11:18  |  Dav 22/11/07
      70.   To Benjamina 11:26  |  I,A, 22/11/07
      71.   # 52 wow you are serious aren`t you ? 11:41  |  Suad 22/11/07
      72.   Please tell me the difference between 11:43  |  D Hirod 22/11/07