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Obama: U.S. Developing New Sanctions for Iran

(New York Times) Helene Cooper and Mark Landler - The Obama administration is working on a series of sanctions that would take aim at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran, publicly singling out the organization's vast array of companies, banks and other entities in an effort to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Senior White House officials described a "systematic" effort to drive a wedge between the Iranian population and the Revolutionary Guards, which the West says is responsible for running Iran's nuclear program. President Obama said in a news conference on Tuesday: "We have bent over backwards to say to the Islamic Republic of Iran that we are willing to have a constructive conversation about how they can align themselves with international norms and rules and re-enter as full members of the international community....They have made their choice so far." He said the U.S. will be working on "developing a significant regime of sanctions that will indicate to them how isolated they are from the international community as a whole." The goal would be to increase the cost for those who do business with Iran so much that they would cut off ties. Administration officials and European diplomats said they hoped that the package would include an expanded list of Iranian officials who are denied visas to visit the West and the curbing of investments in Iran's energy sector.
2010-02-10 10:30:23
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