New Sanctions On Iran For Nukes

Measure Falls Short Of What Bush Administration Wanted

(AP)  The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany agreed Tuesday to impose new sanctions on Iran over its suspect nuclear program, yet the measures appeared to fall short of what the Bush administration had wanted.

After months of diplomatic bickering and U.S. pressure, Washington and its European allies overcame strong Chinese and Russian resistance to a third U.N. sanctions resolution and they all approved a draft that expands and strengthens the penalties that were in the two earlier ones.

The draft was presented as a sign of international resolve that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and unity on the need to press the country into suspending its uranium enrichment that can produce material needed to make the bomb.

But the document, hailed by U.S. officials as a victory for the Bush administration's tough line on Iran, was not released. And participants in the two-hour negotiating session that produced it here pointedly refused to discuss details.

In addition, the foreign ministers of the six nations represented - Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany - canceled a planned news conference and left it to the host of the meeting, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to announce the result.

"We are united in the assessment that nuclear armament of Iran would have dramatic consequences for the Middle East and even beyond," he said. "So we are and remain agreed that we must and will continue to work ... to ensure that it does not happen."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who have had bitter disagreements over Iran, looked on impassively as the German foreign minister announced agreement on the draft.

The group had entered the Berlin meeting divided on four distinct issues, but after heated discussions - primarily between Rice and Lavrov - managed to reach agreement, U.S. officials said. They would not identify the points of contention.

U.S. and European diplomats said the draft, to be presented to the other members of the Security Council in the coming days, bolsters existing sanctions, notably asset freezes and travel bans on Iranian officials. But they disagreed on whether it contains new measures.

A senior U.S. official insisted that the resolution does have "new elements," but declined to elaborate on what they were, while a European official said the draft does not feature additional economic sanctions.

"This resolution builds on the last two resolutions," the U.S. official said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "It increases the severity of the sanctions and it expands the sanctions in some of the categories."

The official referred specifically to travel bans and asset freezes but also said the draft "has some new elements that will be unveiled in New York." It was not immediately clear what those would be or how the comment could be reconciled with that of the European diplomat.

The U.S. has been pushing for sweeping new sanctions, mirroring unilateral measures it imposed last year on select Iranian banks and elements of Iran's military. But Russia and China, which along with some European nations have significant investments in Iran, had balked.

U.S. and European officials said that all participants would vote in favor of the resolution, indicating that the Russians and Chinese may have succeeded in pressing their objections to the wide-ranging sanctions sought by Washington.

The ministers had last met in September and agreed to proceed with a new resolution within two months. But after the release of a new U.S. intelligence report in December that determined Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, that initiative seemed to have faltered.

U.S. officials said Tuesday's agreement was a sign that the National Intelligence Estimate findings, which came as a surprise to many, had not dampened international concern about Iran.

In his statement, Steinmeier stressed that all six nations stood behind the two-pronged carrot and stick approach to Iran, which offers Tehran incentives if it suspends uranium enrichment or further sanctions if it refuses.

However, Iran has remained defiant, insisting it has never had a nuclear weapons program and saying its work is for peaceful purposes such as energy production.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday that his country opposed the spread of weapons of mass destruction and voiced confidence about Iran's cooperation with the U.N. atomic watchdog.

[samsel3]

The Bush-Cheney-PNAC Cartel are pulling their hair out

The Bush administration is trying to stop a new Natural gas deal between Iran and Italy. Next to Russia Iran has the second largest supply of natural gas. The new pipeline will move several billion cubic feet per day across Turkey and then either Greece or Albania. The gas export to Europe is being strongly opposed by Bush & Cheney as it does''nt fit in with their master energy plans.
China Daily December 25, 2007

January 24,2008 India announced a plan for a 2,775 km Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said, "Iranian ambassador spoke to me tuesday and they are very keen that the project takes shape as it is in the interest of all three countries ". Times of India
China National Offshore Oil Corp, the countries third-largest oil producer, will sign an agreement in March for 3 million metric tons of LNG per year from Iran. Liquified Natural Gas will be shipped to Guangdong Zhuhai Jinwan Corp, They are building a gas import terminal in southeastern China''s Zhuhai, two officials at the terminal, asked not to be named in fear of company regulations. ....China daily 1-22-08

[samsel3]

The Bush-Cheney-PNAC Cartel are pulling their hair out

The Bush administration is trying to stop a new Natural gas deal between Iran and Italy. Next to Russia Iran has the second largest supply of natural gas. The new pipeline will move several billion cubic feet per day across Turkey and then either Greece or Albania. The gas export to Europe is being strongly opposed by Bush & Cheney as it does''nt fit in with their master energy plans.
China Daily December 25, 2007

January 24,2008 India announced a plan for a 2,775 km Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said, "Iranian ambassador spoke to me tuesday and they are very keen that the project takes shape as it is in the interest of all three countries ". Times of India
China National Offshore Oil Corp, the countries third-largest oil producer, will sign an agreement in March for 3 million metric tons of LNG per year from Iran. Liquified Natural Gas will be shipped to Guangdong Zhuhai Jinwan Corp, They are building a gas import terminal in southeastern China''s Zhuhai, two officials at the terminal, asked not to be named in fear of company regulations. ....China daily 1-22-08

[samsel3]

The Bush-Cheney-PNAC Cartel are pulling their hair out

The Bush administration is trying to stop a new Natural gas deal between Iran and Italy. Next to Russia Iran has the second largest supply of natural gas. The new pipeline will move several billion cubic feet per day across Turkey and then either Greece or Albania. The gas export to Europe is being strongly opposed by Bush & Cheney as it does''nt fit in with their master energy plans.
China Daily December 25, 2007

January 24,2008 India announced a plan for a 2,775 km Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said, "Iranian ambassador spoke to me tuesday and they are very keen that the project takes shape as it is in the interest of all three countries ". Times of India
China National Offshore Oil Corp, the countries third-largest oil producer, will sign an agreement in March for 3 million metric tons of LNG per year from Iran. Liquified Natural Gas will be shipped to Guangdong Zhuhai Jinwan Corp, They are building a gas import terminal in southeastern China''s Zhuhai, two officials at the terminal, asked not to be named in fear of company regulations. ....China daily 1-22-08

[samsel3]

Nothing has changed on Iran. The administrations interest in Iran & nukes is a smoke screen for their real agenda. Their true interests are Cheney''s energy policy.Condi Rice is a former board member of Chevron Oil and mouthpiece for the administrations energy policy. Part of that policy is the The Caspian Sea pipeline which will go through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,Pakistan, to the gulf of Oman and on to India & Nepal.It will be cheaper to construct if they can go through Iran, but regime change is necessary first. The Caspian sea area holds one third of the world''s oil and south asian oil markets are their target market. This pipeline was also the reason for the Afghanistan invasion. Cheney''s energy policy is the root of all these middle east wars, a federal court judge sealed all documents associated with it for the administration, and the national media are not allowed to discuss or comment on it. More troops are needed in Afghanistan to protect the contractors building the pipeline. Iran stands in the way of total control of global oil now with sales of oil to China''s Sinopec Oil,deal signed Dec.10,2007. Months ago China said there would be dire consequences if the US interfered with there direct oil contracts with Iran. Both parties in the Congress should be very concerned with China''s growing war machine and need for oil. They are the real threat & the administration doesn''t care they are in control ! All that matters to them is BIG OIL and their corporate stock portfolios

[wolf563]

George W. Bush, a man who knew evil when he saw it and who had the courage and the determination to do battle against it.

[hillaryin08]

I hope Bush hits these guys before he leaves

[damnedrelign]

It''s the ''unwritten and unstated'' intelligence info regarding Iran''s procurement of nuclear weapons that is dead serious.
All pre-emptive actions to eliminate Iran''s continuing development of nuclear technology - including FULL MILITARY ATTACKS AGAINST IRAN must be employed at once, as it can never be permitted, that the religious, delusional, hell-bent, punishment/revenge mindset of Iran''s current leadership possess such capabilities.

[nothappyatall]

"But the document, hailed by U.S. officials as a victory for the Bush administration''s tough line on Iran, was not released. And participants in the two-hour negotiating session that produced it here pointedly refused to discuss details. "

Geee, could it be because of the recent report showing Iran has NO nuke weapons program and had scrapped one they sort of had- a few years ago?

[beehive21-2009]

no commenting here ?

[beehive21-2009]

Let them have em,they will blow themselves up, Third world country,not to bright over in iran,however the ones here , just trying to make a living put the kids thru school ,they''re smart and and a nice group of humans,except for a few we need to hang.