Israel lauds new EU nuclear sanctions on Iran
Move sends Tehran clear message that behavior is unacceptable, foreign ministry says, calling on more nations to impose extra measures.
By Barak Ravid and News AgenciesIsrael on Monday praised the EU after it imposed a new set of sanctions on Iran in an attempt to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table over its contentious nuclear program.
"The European moves sends a clear signal to Iran that it must abide by international demands," a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.
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Technicians measuring parts of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in this undated photo. |
| Photo by: AP |
"The make clear to [Iran ] the price of its current behavior and that the international community will not tolerate Iran's continual rejection of international norms," said spokesman Yigal Palmor. "We hope thse steps will be joined by similar sanctions from other nations."
Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said: "We welcome any diplomatic process that can cause Iran to reconsider its intention to acquire a nuclear capability."
The European Union on Monday formally adopted a package of new sanctions against Iran, targeting the country's foreign trade, banking and energy sectors. Canada followed suit with its own round of unilateral sanctions.
The U.S. also lauded the decision, saying it hoped wider sanctions would follow.
"These steps underscore the steadfast European and Canadian leadership to hold Iran accountable for its failure to meet its international obligations and set a high standard for global implementation of sanctions," said Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in a joint written statement.
"The new measures contain important restrictions on Iran's ability to use its transportation infrastructure and energy proceeds to support its nuclear and missile programs," they said. "The strong restrictions and prohibitions on Iran’s ability to access the Canadian and European commercial and banking systems will further protect the international financial system from abuse by Iran."
Following the EU decision, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said his country was ready to return to negotiations on a nuclear fuel swap without conditions, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
Talking of a letter that Iran handed to the IAEA about the proposed nuclear fuel swap, Iran's envoy to U.N. agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh said:
"The clear message of this letter was Iran's complete readiness to hold negotiations over the fuel for the Tehran reactor without any conditions."
International concerns about Iran's uranium enrichment program have led to a tightening of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The European Union on Monday formally adopted a package of new sanctions against Iran, targeting the country's foreign trade, banking and energy sectors.
In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast denounced the EU for its "confrontational" approach.
"Moving toward confrontational measures and supporting unilateral actions and damaging the atmosphere are not considered by us to be a good use of the opportunity," Mehmanparast said, according to the state television network's website.
Sanctions starting to bite
Only three cargoes of gasoline have reached Iran so far in July, according to a shipping document seen by Reuters, much less than the seasonal norm, as new sanctions divert ships carrying fuel.
A series of sanctions agreed since June over Iran's disputed nuclear program target the country's oil trade and industry, making it harder to do business with the Islamic Republic. The EU formally adopted its latest measures on Monday.
Iran is the world's fifth-largest crude exporter, but has to import around 40 percent of its gasoline needs because it does not have enough domestic refining capacity.
Traditionally during the summer holiday driving season, Iran needs 11-13 cargoes a month, a Dubai-based trader told Reuters.
The document seen by Reuters showed only three cargoes of gasoline had arrived this month and were supplied by Turkish refiner Tupras and Unipec, the trading arm of China's Sinopec.
The companies were not immediately available to comment.
Another cargo is expected to arrive from Venezuela at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, two Gulf-based traders said.
They were not aware any other cargoes were heading to Iran.
"The new rounds of sanctions are making things hard right now, and many ships are being diverted, so Iran is only getting a fraction of its actual summer demand," said a trader.
Earlier this month, the owner of a gasoline tanker refused to let the vessel sail to Iran from Turkey.
"Owners of ships are really worried right now about sending shipments to Iran and that's why Iran is looking for alternative companies and countries to import from," said a Gulf-based trader.
As the pressure has mounted on Tehran, the insurance market Lloyd's of London said it would not insure or reinsure petroleum shipments going to the country.
Lloyd's, which has 15 to 20 percent of the global marine insurance sector, is seen as a major influence on other insurance markets with more players pulling back from offering cover to Iran.
Major shipping associations have also created clauses in contracts that enable ship owners to refuse to deliver refined petroleum cargoes to Iran.
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So sanctions are the way to get a country to abide by international demands? Apparently it is the way to show a country that you disapprove of its rejection of international norms. We thank the Israeli FM for this valuable information, it could come in handy...
While sanctions are good political, there real value is mixed, since they hurt the anti-Gov middle class as mush now as the Republican guard. For Iran get a few reactors online is there main goal, making their own fuel rods is a secondary goal and making nukes with uranium is more for bargaining with West to keep reactors online. Using plutonium for nukes is the best way for nukes and Iran knows this and even one reactor can product hundreds of nukes given enough time, as Israel has shown.
Now the UN and the world community should disarm Israel and other nuke-possessing countries of their nuclear weapons – as they constitute clear and present danger to the entire Humanity!! Who said that some countries could have nukes but other - such as Iran, Romania, Haiti or Chad - for example could not?! Americans, Britons, French, Israelis and all other countries, who have nuclear weapons, have awarded themselves such a right. Why Iran, Romania, Haiti or Chad could not do the same? What specific international laws prevent them from having nukes? Equal rights for all countries!
enough to hide the obvious and stop to threaten the world.
Here this article discuss what the jewish lobby thinks about sanction and what Iranians report about the effectiveness of sanction. At least it helps you to target your enemies not everything who breath in Iran: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10743580
After all, UNILATERAL sanctions of this type will open up markets that the Russkies/Chinese were hitherto locked out of...... Who wouldn't laud a situation where your competitors slit their own throats?
as long as anything is not directed at israel, it's o.k, but when it is it's a fixation, go figure.
...not what I do. "Israeli Foreign Policy"
You are about ten years late, but welcome to the fight anyway.
oil supplies will shorten cause iran and probably venezuela will cut or stop them to the eu as well as the us. iran has declared suppoerters of extra sanctions ENEMIES which will face terror! strange things happening in this world...
The European moves sends a clear signal to Iran that it must abide by international demands? double standards!
True - ut when countries run out of santions - iran will still be building the bomb
Iran is overusing gasolin. you can verify in statistics that she uses as much as gasolin as Germany which is an industrialized nation, but nobody in national oil company of Iran dared to fight with Car- makers whose cars consum such energy above international standards. From long ago, the people of National oil of Iran were praying this happen!!!, because they were paying 4O milliard USD/ per yaers subsidy for energy! Now you have made their work very easy! Iran have to make rail roads and enhance its car engines to match to international standards. National oil company can save this money and finance its energy project! It certainly bites now, but in long run you have served Iranian interests. The sanctions important effect is that they hardly damage private sectors which should compete with government and revoloutionary Guards and weaken them. In fact you have damaged your allies!! those who should create and support change in country! If US and Israel were so inteligent and wise , US would not go to such disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan.You are going to the same shit again and of course create the life of people of Iran shit. It is good to come back and see what was wrong in your policies and do not reepeat it. We like to have a liberal and democrat Iran who has a very good relation with US and Israel, but you are preventing such an Iran be created by its people by your policies. You only strengthening hardliners by closing country, weakenning private sector, and proving to every one that wetsren's are Iranians' enemy.
What else can the Iranian leader do ?He must be tired --like the people in the USA are -- of listening to Hussein OBAMA's great but totally innefective hot air speeches when he watches and listens to the whimps in Obama's Administration. Now they are all happy about U.N. sanctions, which --like all sanctions -- will NOT be enforced for there is always someone willing to make some extra money overruning and overlooking sanctions. Ahmadinejad's Iran will get the "A " bomb thanks to bARACK Hussein Obama- the appeaser
of course they applaud it, AIPAC pushed EU to it.
Israel should shut up, be grateful in silence, and look for diplomatic pathways, instead of rejoicing that its foe may have some economic problems.
Important is ONLY what Iran's reaction to the sanctions is; and what America and Europe respond to Iran. Israel is no part of this!!!
on Israel? Why do I doubt it? They might even say that they are solely based on hatred, without any justifiable reason behind the sanctions (and Iran will of course hold the reverse position, with a lot better justification)
This is an odd thing for an Israeli government to say. Don't Israelis listen to themselves? Does Israel also have to comply with international demands? I especially like the Israeli government quote today about Irans "hidden nuclear program". It's like Israel is a parody of itself and they cannot see it.