High Drama at the U.N. (Paul Gigot interviews Reza Pahlavi)

opinionjournal ^ | Sept. 25, 2006

[nuconvert]

-Snip-

Gigot: You heard,... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech. He has also been giving some interviews. What do you think he's trying to accomplish this week with these appearances?

Pahlavi: ...I think the grandstanding of Mr. Ahmadinejad is a carefully planned move to gain more popularity on certain Arab streets, as a champion of the cause of extremists who simply don't look at the world the same way we do.

The truth is he is losing more and more popularity at home, based on complete dysfunctionality of our economic situation. People are tired, are miserable. They have a lot of economic hardship. ... in order to compensate for that loss of popularity, he is ...--as the Islamic Republic leaders have always done the same--deflecting attention from homegrown issues to some international arguments.

Gigot: ... the U.N. Security Council is considering economic and political sanctions. What impact do you think...those sanctions would have on the regime and the nuclear program?

Pahlavi: ... I think that if there is a sanction package considered, it has to be part of a much more profound strategy and policy. I have proposed before--...--a three-pronged approach, which consists of confrontation, pressure and support.

By confrontation, I mean that everywhere this regime is up to mischief, it has to be dealt with, whether it's in Afghanistan or Lebanon or Saudi Arabia or in Iraq.

No. 2 is pressure. This is where sanctions come in. I believe that very carefully targeted and calculated sanctions, aimed at the political, economic and personal interests of the regime's leadership and structure, as opposed to the entire Iranian nation, could certainly hurt the regime ...

And of course, support ... is about helping the Iranian people bring change; fundamental change in Iran, by putting an end to this regime once and for all.

[maryz]

This is where sanctions come in. I believe that very carefully targeted and calculated sanctions, aimed at the political, economic and personal interests of the regime's leadership and structure, as opposed to the entire Iranian nation, could certainly hurt the regime ...

Any idea what such sanctions would be specifically?

[Sparticus]

I've been advocating for a gasoline and other refined fuels blockade. Iran can only refine about %60 of the fuel it needs and must import the rest. Shut off the gas, knock out a refinery or two out of commission (we wouldn't need to actually destroy them) and most of the country would be walking and in the dark. The mullahs would be swinging from lamp posts in short order.