Posted on 10/25/2007 3:33:18 AM PDT by maquiladora
The Bush administration plans to roll out an unprecedented package of unilateral sanctions against Iran today, including the long-awaited designations of its Revolutionary Guard Corps as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and of the elite Quds Force as a supporter of terrorism, according to senior administration officials.
The package, scheduled to be announced jointly by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., marks the first time that the United States has tried to isolate or punish another country's military. It is the broadest set of punitive measures imposed on Tehran since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy, the officials said.
The new sanctions will empower the United States to financially isolate a large part of Iran's military and anyone inside or outside Iran who does business with it, U.S. officials said. The measures could affect hundreds of foreign companies by squeezing them to drop Iranian business or risk U.S. sanctions.
The administration will designate the entire Revolutionary Guard under Executive Order 13382, signed by President Bush in June 2005, which allows the United States to freeze the assets of any proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and its supporters. Iran is being designated for its ballistic missile program. The United States will announce a list of Iranians involved in that program -- civilians as well as military officials -- who will also be designated, U.S. officials said.
Under the same executive order, the administration also intends to designate Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which controls Iran's defense industries, as well as companies owned or controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said.
The overall impact, according to U.S. officials, will be to make a pariah of the most critical parts of Iran's military and its defense and commercial industries.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Would like to see a more structured analysis on the impact. Divesting from firms doing business in/with Iran would seem to be the devastating blow but that’s not on the table it appears. The impact of this move? Maybe the mullah’s internal military allies on international travel.
Other than that, I’m not clear what the direct goal is with the implementation.
If it’s primarily political, and my sense is it is, then the real goal here is to rachet up the pressure with another goal in mind.
If it’s a military action on their nuclear/military facilities, I’m skeptical that it will have the desired results. Would love to be wrong in that concern.
I’ve heard that the Revolutionary Guard and Qod Force get a lot if not most of their funding from their own business dealings with international entities. So the aim of these sanctions is to hinder their ability to fund themselves. If true, this could really have an impact.
Sticks and stone will break their bones.....and toothless word games will never hurt them.
Leni
Ping!
Looking more and more like a Springtime conflagration. The U.S. just dropped the gauntlet on A-jad. Next move is his. He’s getting pushed into a corner and he knows it. Does he have the balls to attack Israel?
My guess is “no”. Look for more caustic commentary from Uncle Vladimir as this chugs along. We’re still picking teams, so I don’t think there will be any action until at least Spring.
Bureaucrats using sanctions as military targeting is not about military targeting, it’s about avoiding military targeting.
Grow a SPINE, folks! The defense of liberty has no dress rehearsal.
How about a resolution that says any Iranian military or agents found in Iraq delivering weapons of any sort, ammo, etc, shall be taken into the desert and shot, and his body left for pigs to consume.
They forgot to append the following: in a civilized manner not entailing overt destruction and lots of spilled blood. Ain't diplomacy grand?
Yawn.
>>>>>This is a bunch of silly State Dept feel good crap and will have absolutely no effect on Iran’s military. These people are morons.
You are so right. This is no more than cheap meaningless words that show the Islamofacists that were are Paper Tigers.
These sanctions won’t be enough. It’s only a matter of time before we attack Iran.
It will be nice that a thug regime has less money to buy arms and weapons with which to kill American troops.
This should serve as the final warning unless this is the warning to the final warning.
Just get rid of all of the nuclear facilities by destroying them in both Iran and Syria already!
I would prefer that we impose overwhelming force in the form of shock and awe.
Fixed. :-D
Reminds me of the time I accidentally said "Man will never travel through time". Total misspeak.
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