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Tag: Sanctions


Mark Rain (CC-BY)

Ahmadinejad: I’ll Negotiate When You Pull the Gun Away From My Face

The Iranian president has offered to negotiate personally with the United States over his country’s nuclear program—with one proviso.

Posted on Feb 10, 2013 READ MORE



AP/John Beale

Penn State Penalized for Sandusky Scandal

The NCAA, college football’s governing body, hit Penn State with unprecedented penalties on Monday for not taking action after discovering that former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was molesting young boys.

Posted on Jul 23, 2012 READ MORE



bbc.co.uk

Suu Kyi’s Party Claims Victory in Burma

She’s attracted international attention to her cause, and now she’s bringing change to her native Burma, as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi led her political party, the National League for Democracy, to claim 40 of 45 parliamentary seats up for the vote in last weekend’s by-elections.

Posted on Apr 2, 2012 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


Ahmadinejad
AP / Hasan Sarbakhshian

Obama Makes Room for New Sanctions Against Iran

On Friday, President Obama prepared to put the squeeze on Iran’s international oil business as an oblique, but not ambiguous, means of pressuring Tehran about its nuclear program by laying the groundwork for more sanctions.

Posted on Mar 30, 2012 READ MORE  |  26 COMMENTS



AP / Local Coordination Committees in Syria

U.N. Considers Syria Intervention

As the crisis in Syria reached new levels of urgency Friday, the United Nations Security Council met to work up a resolution pressuring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. The U.N. group faced a formidable challenge, however, from a prominent and permanent member, according to the BBC.

Posted on Jan 27, 2012 READ MORE  |  7 COMMENTS



undergroundbastard (CC-BY)

The Myth of ‘Isolated’ Iran

Once upon a time, the “red line” for Washington on Iran was the “enrichment” of uranium. Now, it’s an actual nuclear weapon that could be brandished. But what if the red line is really the petrodollar line?

Posted on Jan 18, 2012 READ MORE  |  45 COMMENTS



bbc.co.uk

Iranian Nuclear Scientist Killed in Car Blast

Iran is evidently not the safest of places to be a nuclear scientist, as another from among their ranks, 32-year-old Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, was killed Wednesday in Tehran by what the city’s deputy governor characterized as both a magnetic car bomb and the work of Zionist operatives.

Posted on Jan 11, 2012 READ MORE  |  23 COMMENTS



U.S. Air Force / Tech. Sgt. Michael Holzworth

For Once, Let’s Just Leave Iraq Alone

Better to let Iraq blow itself apart than inflict the kind of policies that have, as most commentators refuse to acknowledge, plagued the country’s entire, sorry history.

Posted on Jan 5, 2012 READ MORE  |  33 COMMENTS



Wikimedia Commons / U.S. House of Representatives

Truthdigger of the Week: Rep. Dennis Kucinich

As the year draws to a close, the U.S. government risks repeating the costly mistakes of the recent past by ratcheting up tensions with Iran, emphasizing risky sanctions over diplomatic negotiations and making fact-challenged claims about Iran’s nuclear program. Good thing Rep. Dennis Kucinich is on Capitol Hill to call Congress on its deadly war addiction.

Posted on Dec 30, 2011 READ MORE  |  87 COMMENTS



bbc.co.uk

Iranians Take Out Anger on British Embassy

The Union Jack burned outside the British Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday as angry Iranian protesters charged the compound, smashed windows and demonstrated their displeasure with the British government’s newly imposed sanctions in reaction to Iran’s purported plans to develop nuclear weapons.

Posted on Nov 29, 2011 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



Flickr / World Economic Forum (CC-BY-SA)

Turkey Imposes Further Sanctions on Israel

Turkey added fuel to its smoldering relationship with Israel on Tuesday when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his nation would impose additional sanctions against its once-close ally.

Posted on Sep 6, 2011 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS



Flickr / infomatique (CC-BY-SA)

EU Slaps a Ban on Syrian Oil

The European Union announced Saturday that it is banning purchases of Syrian oil, a first for Europe, which had thus far avoided targeting Syrian industry as a method to stem the government violence there. (more)

Posted on Sep 3, 2011 READ MORE


Obama to Gadhafi: ‘All Attacks Against Civilians Must Stop’

In this speech from the White House on Friday, President Obama laid out what Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi must do in order to avoid “consequences,” thus far in the form of a no-fly zone, from the international community. Obama also spelled out what the U.S. would not ...

Posted on Mar 18, 2011 READ MORE  |  7 COMMENTS



Wikimedia Commons / DefenseImagery.mil

Gadhafi the ‘Delusional’

With calls from abroad, including from the U.S., for him to resign and a situation closely resembling civil war raging within his nation’s borders, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s insistence that his people “love” him might run up against some strong evidence to the contrary.

Posted on Feb 28, 2011 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS



AP / Vahid Salemi

Swiss Cheese Sanctions

Like a piece of Swiss cheese, U.S. sanction policy is riddled with holes, according to reports. A former Treasury official claims licenses to trade with blacklisted countries such as Iran have been doled out to the tune of billions of dollars in profits, all at the behest of lobbying groups.

Posted on Dec 24, 2010 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT


Iran gas field
AP / Vahid Salemi

Others, Besides Iranians, Aren’t Crazy About Sanctions

When it comes to registering disapproval for Iran’s nuclear program, certain key members of the international community keep pushing the same button—that would be the one marked sanctions. But is this becoming more of a rote reflex than an effective strategy?

Posted on Jul 27, 2010 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



AP / Hasan Sarbakhshian

And Now, Even More Sanctions Against Iran

The Iranian government is apparently of the opinion that sanctions are not “an effective tool,” particularly when those sanctions are imposed against Iran from elsewhere in the world, such as the more stringent ones that the European Union just adopted, for example.

Posted on Jul 26, 2010 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS


Iranian protesters
AP / Vahid Salemi

Russia Stops Missile Sale to Iran

The powers that be in Tehran felt the sting of recently imposed U.N. sanctions Friday when Russia decided to halt the planned sale of air defense missiles to Iran as part of ... (continued)

Posted on Jun 11, 2010 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS



AP / Hasan Sarbakhshian

U.N. Votes in Favor of Imposing ‘Toughest Sanctions Ever’ on Iran

Here’s President Barack Obama’s take on the stringent new sanctions the U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to impose on Iran: They’re “the toughest sanctions ever faced by Iran.” Right, now here’s Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the same topic ... (continued)

Posted on Jun 9, 2010 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS



U.S. Coast Guard / CPO John Kepsimelis

EPA Weighs Sanctions Against BP

Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency are considering whether to bar BP from receiving government contracts, a move that would ultimately cost the company billions in revenue and could end its drilling in federally controlled oil fields.

Posted on May 25, 2010 READ MORE  |  14 COMMENTS


South Korean warship
AP / Yonhap, Jin Sung-chul

U.S. to Join Forces With South Korea for Seafaring Exercises

In a move that predictably provoked the North Korean government, the Pentagon acknowledged that U.S. forces would be conducting naval exercises with their South Korean counterparts as a show of solidarity with Seoul following the sinking of the warship Cheonan in March.

Posted on May 24, 2010 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS


Ahmadinejad
AP / Hasan Sarbakhshian

Six Nations Hold U.N. Huddle About Iran

On Thursday, President Barack Obama made his case for a fourth round of sanctions
against Iran to send a strong message to Tehran about its nuclear program, but some other global powers aren’t on board with that plan just yet—namely, China and Russia.

Posted on Apr 8, 2010 READ MORE  |  20 COMMENTS



Wikimedia Commons

U.S.-Taiwan Arms Sale Irks China

The U.S. State Department has defended a proposed deal to sell $6.4 billion in weapons to Taiwan, claiming the exchange would aid “security and stability” between the island and its mainland big brother, China.

Posted on Jan 30, 2010 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS


Iran nuclear program
payvand.com

Obama Warns of Iran Sanctions

President Barack Obama has signaled an escalation in the ongoing nuclear dispute with Iran, warning that punitive measures could come soon after Tehran rejected a proposal to send its enriched uranium to Russia or France for further processing.

Posted on Nov 20, 2009 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS


America’s ‘Strong Commitment to Error’

John Kenneth Galbraith once warned that U.S. foreign policy suffers from institutional rigidity with a “strong commitment to error.” What better proof than the planned surge in Afghanistan?

Posted on Feb 3, 2009 READ MORE  |  26 COMMENTS



Flickr / DavidDennis

U.S. Demands Sanctions Against Russia

The Bush administration continued efforts to resurrect the Cold War this week by demanding that European governments back sanctions against Russia. So far, America’s allies in NATO are showing relative restraint in the face of a transatlantic temper tantrum.

Posted on Aug 18, 2008 READ MORE  |  17 COMMENTS


Ehud Barak
AP photo / Ariel Schalit

Israel and Iran Talk Tough

Israel and Iran appear to be locked in a dangerous round of ¿Quién es más macho? On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to Iran’s new displays of military prowess—this week’s missile tests—by declaring that Israel is ready for action should Iran push the direct-threat level any higher.

Posted on Jul 10, 2008 READ MORE  |  16 COMMENTS


Obama
Flickr / throwthedamnthing

Tehran Shoots, Obama Scorns

Taking a move from the McCain playbook and latching on to the bogeyman that is Iran, Barack Obama responded to Tehran’s long-range weapons tests Wednesday with calls for tougher economic sanctions against the country, whose missiles are now deemed capable of hitting American bases in the region.

Posted on Jul 9, 2008 READ MORE  |  29 COMMENTS


Mugabe
AP photo / Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

Mugabe Prevails in Sham Election

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has fought tooth and nail to maintain his position of power during the three months since his authority was threatened by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, widely recognized (but not by Mugabe) as the winner of last March’s election, and now it looks like all that hard work and abject brutality has paid off.

Posted on Jun 28, 2008 READ MORE  |  10 COMMENTS



Flickr / Sami Keinanen

Europe Discards Cuba Sanctions

As a symbolic gesture, the European Union has lifted sanctions against Cuba. The United States was irked by the decision, which had no practical effect since the sanctions have been suspended for years.

Posted on Jun 19, 2008 READ MORE  |  19 COMMENTS


MIR Bush options

Bush’s ‘All Options on the Table’ Means Only One Thing

In this installment of Link TV’s “Mosaic Intelligence Report,” host Jamal Dajani looks closely at the true meaning of President Bush’s pronouncement on the U.S. stance vis-à-vis Iran, that “all options are on the table.” Could it mean he intends to follow U.N. protocol? Well, no—not from the Middle Eastern perspective, at least.

Posted on Jun 14, 2008 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS


America’s Insane Cuba Policy

Other than providing Fidel Castro with a convenient antagonist to help him whip up nationalist fervor—and thus prolong his rule—the U.S. trade embargo and other sanctions have accomplished precisely nothing.

Posted on May 26, 2008 READ MORE  |  42 COMMENTS


Ahmadinejad and Talibani
AP photo / Hadi Mizban

Visit Trumpets Iran’s Power in Iraq

Ahmadinejad’s unprecedented trip to Baghdad demonstrates his nation’s influence on its neighbor since the fall of Saddam.

Posted on Mar 3, 2008 READ MORE  |  23 COMMENTS


Iran nuclear program
payvand.com

U.S. Report:  Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Program in  ‘03

A new report released by American intelligence officials profoundly contradicts President Bush’s claims on the Iran nuclear threat and casts his “World War III” fear-mongering in a dubious light.  The National Intelligence Estimate’s declassified assessment, compiled from 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, says Iran actually halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 “in response to international pressure.”

Posted on Dec 3, 2007 READ MORE  |  52 COMMENTS


Iran negotiator
AP photo / Vahid Salemi

U.N. Gives Mixed Reviews to Iran’s Nuclear Program

The good news, according to the U.N.‘s nuclear agency, is that Iran earlier was forthcoming with information about its nuclear program.  The bad news is that Iran is not now offering the same level of transparency, is reportedly still enriching uranium in defiance of the Security Council and may be, according to the BBC, cooperating just enough to avoid additional sanctions. Above, Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili.

Posted on Nov 15, 2007 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


Iran sanctions

Mosaic on America’s Sanctions Against Iran

This week’s Mosaic Intelligence Report looks at the U.S.‘s newly imposed sanctions against Iran’s military—the first time, the Link TV report points out, that the U.S. has sought to punish another country’s military this way.  Could America’s latest move constitute a prelude to war?  Iranian officials have reacted angrily, saying the sanction strategy is “doomed to failure.”

Posted on Oct 27, 2007 READ MORE  |  7 COMMENTS


Burmese protesters
bernama.com

Burma General to Meet Opposition Leader

Burma’s top military general has agreed to meet with imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, provided she drops her “attitude” and meets other conditions. Meanwhile, the government says it has arrested 2,093 protesters and bystanders (Burmese law prohibits gatherings of five or more), while the BBC puts the figure closer to 10,000.

Posted on Oct 4, 2007 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS


Chevron’s Pipeline Is the Burmese Regime’s Lifeline

The barbarous military regime depends on revenue from the nation’s gas reserves and partners such as Chevron to buy bullets for the guns it points at monks, a detail conveniently ignored by the Bush administration.

Posted on Oct 2, 2007 READ MORE  |  33 COMMENTS


Iranian parliament
worldisround.com

Iran to U.S.: I’m Rubber, You’re Glue

The Iranian parliament has taken the I’m rubber, you’re glue approach to dealing with the U.S., labeling the United States Army and the CIA terrorist organizations, just days after Congress suggested the same designation for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Posted on Sep 30, 2007 READ MORE  |  10 COMMENTS


marching monks
news.bbc.co.uk

Bush to Tighten Sanctions on Burma

President Bush has weighed in on the massive protests in Burma (Myanmar), saying he will boost sanctions against the country’s abusive military government. Meanwhile, thousands of Buddhist monks have defied government warnings and continue to demonstrate.

Posted on Sep 25, 2007 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS


Kim Gye Gwan
AP Photo / Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi

Nuclear Proliferation at a Crossroads

If the Bush administration is now in peacenik mode with North Korea, why not more aggressively follow the diplomatic track with Iran?  As a result of a startling turnabout by an administration committed to wage war against “rogue nations,” it turns out offers of aid and diplomatic recognition might work wonders in stemming the spread of the nuclear threat.

Posted on Sep 2, 2007 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


Iranian Puzzle Missing Some Pieces

Bush administration members and other Capitol Hill denizens are puzzling over how to approach Iran—one currently circulating (so Cold War retro!) keyword is “containment,” says the BBC—and finding the situation to be increasingly perplexing in light of U.S. relationships with Iraq and other Mideast nations. 

Posted on Aug 18, 2007 READ MORE  |  23 COMMENTS


Iran May Prosecute Sailors

The Iranian foreign minister has said 15 Royal Navy sailors and marines detained on Friday could be charged with violating Iran’s territory, although Britain insists the personnel were in Iraqi waters. Iran has also accused the sailors of spying. News of their capture came as the U.N. Security Council toughened sanctions against Iran.

Posted on Mar 26, 2007 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS


Mr. Fish: Welcome to the Club

Share
Posted on Feb 23, 2007 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS        


Ahmadinejad Demands ‘Equal Conditions’ for Talks

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that his nation is willing to shut down its nuclear enrichment program in order to hold talks, but first the West must do likewise: “We say how is it that your [nuclear fuel] production facilities work 24 hours a day, but you feel threatened by our newly established complex and we need to shut it down for talks?”

Posted on Feb 20, 2007 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS



No iPods for North Korea

In response to North Korea’s nuclear test last year, the U.S. has banned the export of luxury goods including iPods, jet skis and cognac. That’ll teach ‘em.

Posted on Jan 26, 2007 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


suffering infant

Our Own Weapon of Mass Destruction

This disturbing documentary by former “60 Minutes” producer Barry Lando chronicles the horror that 13 years of U.S.-backed sanctions wrought on Iraq, including the deaths of hundreds of thousands—many of them children.

Posted on Jan 23, 2007 READ MORE  |  14 COMMENTS


Iran Leader Scoffs at Sanctions

A defiant Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that U.N. sanctions would have no effect on his nation’s nuclear policy or economy: “The [U.N.] resolution was born dead and even if they issue 10 more of such resolutions it will not affect Iran’s economy and policies.”

Posted on Jan 21, 2007 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS


Natanz
news.bbc.co.uk

Iran Unfazed by Sanctions

Iran responded defiantly Sunday to U.N. Security Council sanctions by announcing it would press ahead with nuclear enrichment. “Previously we said repeatedly that if the Westerners wanted to exploit the UN Security Council it will not only have no influence but make us more determined to pursue our nuclear goals even faster,” said Iran’s top nuclear negotiator.

Posted on Dec 24, 2006 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS


Putin and Kim
ticketsofrussia.com

Putin Urges ‘Goodwill’ Toward North Korea

During a nationally broadcast town hall-style address, Russian President Vladimir Putin pitched a more open stance in dealing with North Korea: “You must never push one of the participants in talks into a corner.”

Posted on Oct 25, 2006 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


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