US call to widen Iran sanctions meets resistance
By Guy Dinmore in Washington and Mark Turner at the United Nations
The US faces resistance to its attempts to broaden the scope of UN sanctions on Tehran to include a blacklist of commercial companies affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards, a ban on all arms exports, and measures aimed at constraining the state’s wider economy.
Talks on a new Security Council resolution continue in New York this week following Iran’s refusal to suspend its nuclear fuel programme as demanded by the council in December.
President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad is reported to be keen to address the Security Council over the nuclear issue.
But China and Russia have objected to going beyond the narrow nuclear and missile focus of the previous sanctions resolution that gave Iran 60 days to comply. Germany – not a council member but part of the EU3 negotiating team – is said to be unhappy with proposals to halt new credit lines and export guarantees.
The US drive to hurt the Iranian economy, including the relatively small private sector, rests on the belief that the business community and wider population will direct their economic grievances at the government of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad.
In parallel with the UN process, the US Treasury has held roadshows in Europe and the Middle East in an effort to cajole state and private investors to stay clear of Iran. US officials say they are pleased with the results.
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