[Times-UK] Bronwen Maddox - If Iran is going to worry about the prospect of sanctions, it should be those that the U.S. is drawing up on its own. There are hints that the U.S. may enforce its current sanctions laws against foreign companies dealing with Iran far more aggressively than it has done yet - and Congress may tighten the laws further. That could hurt Iran and companies dealing with it more than anything the UN laboriously does. Henry Paulson, the Treasury Secretary, used weekend meetings between finance ministers from the Group of Seven leading economies to call for help in choking off funds to Iranian companies that the U.S. suspects of trading in weapons or nuclear components. He said that he had been shocked by intelligence suggesting that more than 30 front companies could be involved in a suspected network and that they may have duped Western banks into helping inadvertently.
2006-09-19 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive