US Denies ‘Watering Down’ Iran Sanctions Proposal

Clinton Claims Growing Momentum in Favor of Sanctions

The US State Department is today denying reports from yesterday that the Obama Administration is toning down the UN Security Council resolution for sanctions against Iran.

State Dept. Spokesman P.J. Crowley insisted that nothing had been taken off the table and claimed “significant inaccuracies” in media reporting on the resolution. He would not, however, make any specific statements about what in those reports was inaccurate.

Yesterday’s reports had the Obama Administration abandoning several key portions of the “crippling” sanctions, including the ban on refined petroleum imports, in an effort to convince nations opposed to the sanctions, including Russia and China, to acquiesce.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that “constructive talks” have been held in favor of the sanctions and that there was growing momentum behind them. She predicted new activity on the sanctions in the very new future, though it should be pointed out that she has been similarly optimistic about imminent sanctions in the past only to see that alleged consensus fail to materialize.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.