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U.S. Weighs Iran Oil Sanctions If Nuclear Talks Are Rejected

[New York Times] David E. Sanger - The Obama administration is talking with allies and Congress about the possibility of cutting off Iran's imports of gasoline and other refined oil products if it fails to respond to President Obama's offer to negotiate on its nuclear program, acting against companies around the world that supply Iran with 40% of its gasoline. Legislation that would give Mr. Obama that authority already has 71 sponsors in the Senate and similar legislation is expected to sail through the House. "Draconian sanctions did not make sense in 2005 and 2006," said R. Nicholas Burns, who led the Bush administration's Iran strategy as undersecretary of state for policy. "But given the new weakness and vulnerability of the Ahmadinejad government, much tougher sanctions make sense now," he said.
2009-08-03 06:00:00
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