Sunday, August 29, 2010

Iran Sanctions Appear To Be Working

Iran Sanctions Begin To Bite -- Arab News

ALTHOUGH the Iranian government insists that countries like China and Russia can make up lost Western investment in the petroleum sector, rising gas prices and stalled energy projects are signs that the regime is beginning to buckle under international sanctions.

The United States, Canada and Australia, as well as the United Nations and the European Union, have stiffened financial penalties over the last several weeks against Iran for its nuclear program, which Tehran argues is meant for civilian uses like power generation and medical purposes. In recent weeks, Tehran has begun to feel “a lot of pressure” on the gasoline front, said Houchang Hassan-Yari, a professor of international relations at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. The government is now curbing from 100 liters to 60 liters the amount of subsidized gas consumers can buy each month, Hassan-Yari told OilPrice.com.

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My Comment: The Achilles Heel for Iran has always been its many minorities (and on how they are treated by the Persian majority), and its energy sector. But if one is able to cut off the oil revenues that the regime receives .... Tehran will have a problem in satisfying (and paying off) a public that is becoming more and more despondent over its rule.

Will sanctions in the end work .... probably. But it will take a few more years and a resolution to keep the sanctions in place to have the impact that many are hoping for.

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