US Clamps Down on Iran as Ahmadinejad Offers Reconciliation
In one of the last conceivable financial moves the United States can possibly take against the Iranian banking system, the Bush Administration announced today that they will prevent US banks from processing transactions for Iranian banks even if the transactions were initiated in offshore banks. The US has been targeting Iranian banks for sanctions for years now, and has also pressured other nations to do the same.
The latest escalation of US sanctions against Iran is contrasted by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s congratulatory statement to President-elect Barack Obama, which some analysts see as a gesture indicating Iran’s openness to reconciliation after nearly three decades of hostility with the US.
During the primary season, Obama spoke several times of the need for talks with Iran, something the Bush administration has resisted. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned Obama today against the possibility of talks with Iran, saying dialogue “could be interpreted as a message of weakness.â€
Antiwar | Thursday, November 6, 2008
Last 5 posts in Economy
- More cracks in the eurozone despite likely deal for Greece - March 14th, 2010
- Shocker: TARP funds went to unworthy companies - March 12th, 2010
- Unemployment up in 30 states - March 12th, 2010
- Why Italy faces a derivatives time bomb - March 12th, 2010
- Greece hit by strikes, riots over austerity plan - March 11th, 2010
Last 5 posts in Iran
- Saudi, UAE ready to press China on Iran sanctions: US - March 12th, 2010
- Washington awards firms that broke Iran sanctions over $100 billion - March 8th, 2010
- Iran's Ahmadinejad: Sept. 11 attacks a 'big lie' - March 6th, 2010
- In U.S., Barak signals Israeli autonomy against Iran - February 27th, 2010
- Israel drones 'could target Iran' - February 22nd, 2010
