US hostility against Iran continues with new sanctions
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, January 18, 2016
With fresh sanctions imposed on Iran, the United States has shown that its deeply-rooted hostility toward the Middle East country still remains despite the implementation of a landmark agreement on Tehran's nuclear program.
The United States Sunday announced new sanctions against Iran as a result of a ballistic missile launch in October, only a day after the international sanctions tied to Iran's nuclear program were lifted.p On Monday, Iran denounced the new U.S. sanctions against its ballistic missile program as "illegitimate."
"Iran's missile program has never been designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said, according to the ISNA news agency.
"The U.S. sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program ... have no legal or moral legitimacy," he added.
PRISONER SWAP FOLLOWED BY NEW SANCTIONS
Reports said the fresh sanctions were actually postponed for more than two weeks by the U.S. side due to the its concern that fresh restrictive measures could derail its negotiations with Iran over a prisoner swap.
The U.S. side did not want the new sanctions to have a negative impact on the nuclear talks, Chu Yin, deputy professor of international affairs with Beijing-based University of International Relations, told Xinhua.
Under the Washington-Tehran prisoner deal, five Americans were released from Tehran's custody on Saturday. In exchange, seven Iranians who had been charged or convicted for sanctions violations were pardoned by the U.S. side.
However, the implementation of the prisoner exchange was followed closely by the U.S. announcement of the new sanctions.
According to a statement issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, six Iranian nationals and 11 companies were blacklisted by the U.S. authority for their involvement in the missile program.
"This action is consistent with the U.S. government's commitment to continue targeting those who assist in Iran's efforts to procure items for its ballistic missile program," the statement said.
Adam Szubin, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, reiterated the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the nuclear deal.
Apart from those related to the ballistic missile program, activities linked to Iran's support for terrorism, regional destabilization and human rights abuses are also targets of the U.S. sanctions.
In a White House speech on Iran Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama vowed to act steadfastly on Iran's "destabilizing behavior," as "there remain profound differences" between the two countries.
BALANCING MIDDLE EAST POLICY
As an example of the U.S.-Iran differences, the newly-announced sanctions are clearly part of Washington's efforts to rebalance its Middle East policy as a thawing of ties with Iran is bound to add complexity to the regional situation.
"We're not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners," Obama said in the televised national address on Sunday.
Last October, Iran announced that it test-fired a long-range Emad missile, which it said "could be guided and controlled until hitting the target with high precision."
A UN experts' report in December said that Iran violated a UN Security Council resolution by test-firing the Emad missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, enabling the United States to pose new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
By limiting the long-range strike capability of Iran, the United States has tried to protect its allies in the Middle East, said Lu Jin, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Washington is on high alert regarding Tehran's development of high-precision weapons, Chu said.
"The new sanctions, different from old ones, focus on Iran's missiles under a comprehensive framework aimed at limiting its nuclear ambition," he added.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)