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U.S., Europeans Planning Own Iran Sanctions

[Washington Post] Robin Wright - The U.S. and its European allies are preparing to impose their own broad military and economic sanctions against Iran if Russia and China balk at voting for a tough new resolution at the UN, according to U.S. and European officials. The Bush administration is pushing for punitive measures that could include sanctioning branches of Iran's military - such as parts of the Revolutionary Guards' al-Quds Force - rather than individual military leaders of those units, as in past resolutions. Washington is also looking to curtail Iran's ability to import military equipment, such as Russian air defense systems. It also wants to tighten the noose on banks and companies connected to the acquisition of suspicious military materiel. And it wants to strengthen the travel ban that prevents Iranian officials from traveling abroad. "We want to close all loopholes and suck the oxygen out of the room," said a U.S. official involved in the diplomacy. Washington and its allies are developing a parallel track to the UN. "We're not talking about either/or tracks. We'll continue on the UN track, but we also have the track of the U.S.-EU," a State Department official said.
2007-09-24 01:00:00
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