The United States and its allies are discussing economic sanctions on Iran without the United Nations' support, The Financial Times reported Monday, amid concerns that Tehran is accelerating its nuclear program, which European diplomats believe may increase the chance for an Israeli military response.
A European diplomat told the newspaper that "as we go along 2009, you're going to hear more and more about it (a possible Israeli strike on Iranian facilities)." He added there was a growing consensus that Tehran could have sufficient fissile material for a bomb by the end of next year.
The Financial Times reported that Dennis Ross, US presidential hopeful Barack Obama's senior adviser on the Middle East, was one of the writers of a report by a Washington-based think-tank, warning that "the Europeans make war more likely if they do not strengthen sanctions against Iran."
The report backs an intensive diplomatic effort, but also calls for immediate military steps to deal with Iran, such as "pre-positioning additional US and allied forces, deploying additional aircraft carrier battle groups and minesweepers (and) emplacing other war materiel in the (Gulf) region".
The European diplomat said that, in light of concerns, EU countries and the US were planning to impose sanctions on Iran's energy sector as "like-minded countries" - rather than through the UN - and were discussing targeting exports of engineering products for Iranian refineries as well as refined oil itself.
He said that after a largely empty UN resolution this month, Western countries had concluded that "if there is another (resolution), it will take a lot of time and there will be very little substance in it."
Limited refining capacity
Another western diplomat said that "the idea would be to get together a coalition of the willing . . . given the difficulties we would have getting this past Russia and China (in the UN).
"Iran has a limited refining capacity, so they rely on petrol imports . . . We are therefore working on targeting investment in the Iranian refinery industry," he noted, adding that measures, which might also target the financial sector, could be agreed in early November.
"You would try and stop investment in new projects inside Iran, preventing extraction and transportation," he said.
According to the Financial Times, Iran meets about one-third of its petrol needs through imports, estimated to cost more than $10 billion this year.
Israel, which is not directly involved in the sanction discussions, has been calling on the US, France, Britain and Germany to impose painful sanctions on Tehran in order to prevent the need for military action.
Israeli sources estimate the energy-related sanctions will force the Iranian regime to raise the subsidized fuel prices significantly, leading to disruptions in everyday life in Tehran.
Since the US couldn't bully, threaten and bribe the UN into a war resolution against Iraq, the Bush/Cheney mob put together a Coalition of the Willing to invade Iraq... based on numerous lies, many of which came from Israel and then PM Ariel Sharon.
Now, more lies are coming from Israel and the US, unable to bully, threaten and bribe enough UN members to attack Iran, is going to put together another coalition.
One of their biggest lies is the Iranian laptop, that Israel just happened to get their hands on, that details Iran's nuke program.
Of course, the Iranian that snuck it out of Iran conveniently died and most of the Iranian plans are written in ENGLISH, but hey, it plays well in Peoria.
Why should Europe participate in illegal actions against Iran in order to prevent Israel from hurting itself?
We know that this "peace loving country, the only democracy in the Middle East" cannot live without violence, against the Palestinians on the West Bank, in the concentration camp of Gaza, Lebanon etc., and we know that it was the supplier of lies and deception on which the illegal aggression on Iraq was based. The reason why the US occupation is not over is that there is still a lot of genocide to do and the country has not yet been fragmented in compliance with Israel's plans.
After Iran there will be people to kill in Pakistan which you will know if you keep yourself informed.
It is obvious that there are important issues which we have to take into consideration when it comes to the important question whether or not to follow the US, which used to be called the leader of the free world:
1. USA itself is not free any longer, and it does not behave like a sovereign nation. Its constitution has been completely undermined, and when it comes to international relations it has lost its sovereignty to its Zionist masters It is clear for everyone to see that the upcoming presidential elections have nothing to do with the wellbeing of the US, and that issues concerning the choice of a Middle East Policy that serves US intersts is a tabu on par with "Holocaust Denial". Just look at the uproar Rev. Jesse Jackson has caused by claiming without any evidence that an Obama administration will change US Middle East Policy. Even the thought cannot be permitted on the US political scene.
2. USA is no longer practicing the rule of law, neither at home nor abroad. There is no reason for Europe to accept its territory to be used for criminal "rendition" operations which include kidnappings, torture and extra juridical emprisonments. The Bush administration has even had the audacity to travel to Europe to explain that it reserves its "right" to perform kidnappings of Europeans in Europe if that serves its interests!
3. USA is no longer financially strong, so it cannot throw its weight around with scant consideration for legal implications. It is broke, and not only its illegal wars, but its entire government administration is based on the goodwill of creditors in China and other nations, which now realize that the US simply does not have the capacity to produce and generate value to service its debt.
On this basis the USA looks more like the big whore than the unchallenged super power. Why would Europe aspire to subject itself to its illegal whims? It would simply make Europe the maid servant of the big whore!
Europe has its own interests to take care of, including its access to energy. If the government of Israel wants to proceed down the road leading to its own destruction, so be it, we cannot help it apart from speaking our minds, but we know too well how unpopular that is!
The same is the case with the US. Europe used to consider it to be a friend and a protector, but in recent years its Israel inspired "mad dog international relations paradigm" makes it impossible to get our message across! The US does not want to hear, it just wants total and unchallenged "control", (on behalf of its masters), total bully powers, and those who do not submit are not friends any longer.
True friendship simply does not work that way, so it is better that Europe concludes that the US has moved so far away from the culture and values on which Western civilization was built that there is no reason to try to keep up appearances and play friendly. There was no reason to keep up appearances with the Nazi regime in spite of all what the German civilization had offered the world in terms of poetry, music and theology, and there is certainly no better reason to keep up appearances with the USA today.
The US population has been dumbed down over decades preparing it for serfdom in a new era with a fascist regime. The same tendency has been seen in Europe, but I honestly believe that the European resistance to fascism is stronger.
If Israel and the USA are hellbent in their evil schemes, which will put their very existence on the line, so be it, Europe cannot do anything about it. Europe has its own interests to consider, not only to be accepted as "friends" by countries, which in effect do not want friends but just subjects, which they can exploit and destroy.