The crippling US sanctions on Iran’s economy have barred almost every conceivable type of commerce, initially forcing Iran to move back to the gold standard for international trade by denying them access to international banks, then banning the gold trade as well.
This month’s P5+1 meeting with Iran is going to include an offer of trivial concessions to Iran, effectively rolling back the ban on the gold trade and putting Iran right back to where they were a few weeks ago, in return for closing the Fordo enrichment plant.
Fordo is a large portion of Iran’s civilian enrichment capacity, and is irksome to the US and Israel because, being deep underground it would be much less convenient to attack than Natanz, the other plant.
Though Iran has said it is eager to make a deal, the trivial nature of the offer and the large demand makes it difficult to imagine it will be accepted. After all, if all they get out of Fordo is the right to trade in gold, closing what is left of their civilian program likely won’t get them much more, and will leave them more or less in a state of permanent sanctions.
(Reuters) – Small Russian banks are participating in schemes to finance Iranian oil exports, which are the target of U.S. and European sanctions against Tehran, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday.
(Reuters) – Iran's crude oil exports in December leapt to their highest level since European Union sanctions took effect last July, analysts and shipping sources said, as strong Chinese demand and tanker fleet expansion helped the OPEC member dodge sanctions.
TEHRAN – Iran’s agricultural exports during the first ten months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 20, 2012, have grown by 25 percent compared to the same period in the preceding year, ISNA quoted Iranian Agriculture Minister Sadeq Khalilian as saying.
ISTANBUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Turkey will continue to buy natural gas from Iran despite the prospect of tighter U.S. sanctions, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said, indicating the measures are not likely to have much impact on the countries' gold-for-gas trade.
The Islamic Republic’s electricity exports to neighboring countries have increased by about 32 percent since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2012).
TEHRAN – The construction of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline will begin in the near future, the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran announced on Wednesday.
(Reuters) – Small Russian banks are participating in schemes to finance Iranian oil exports, which are the target of U.S. and European sanctions against Tehran, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday.
(Reuters) – Iran's crude oil exports in December leapt to their highest level since European Union sanctions took effect last July, analysts and shipping sources said, as strong Chinese demand and tanker fleet expansion helped the OPEC member dodge sanctions.
TEHRAN – Iran’s agricultural exports during the first ten months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 20, 2012, have grown by 25 percent compared to the same period in the preceding year, ISNA quoted Iranian Agriculture Minister Sadeq Khalilian as saying.
ISTANBUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Turkey will continue to buy natural gas from Iran despite the prospect of tighter U.S. sanctions, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said, indicating the measures are not likely to have much impact on the countries' gold-for-gas trade.
The Islamic Republic’s electricity exports to neighboring countries have increased by about 32 percent since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2012).
TEHRAN – The construction of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline will begin in the near future, the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran announced on Wednesday.
I am just so embarrassed – this is the "best" the west can do in "negotiating" with Iran, it is truly pathetic. But when we are led by minnows like Obama, Kerry, Cameron and Hague, what can one expect?
This is how you make sure the negotiations go anywhere …… For shame !!!!
Not to worry — Iran is in the cat-bird seat in the Middle East, with powerful friends. The U.S. is grasping at straws trying to placate Israel which is most feared in the ME.
"[Fordow] would be much less convenient to attack than Natanz, the other plant."
Fordow is out of reach to the US military which is why they may want to close it
existing U.S. bomb penetration
30,000 lb GBU-57 MOP 60 ft concrete
5,000 lb GBU-28 20 ft concrete
2,000 lb BLU-109 6 ft concrete
Iran Fordo (Qom) facility — 90m rock
Of course this threat assumes that one believes Reuters and its sources: "Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said their decision not to make a dramatically new offer in part reflected skepticism that Iran is ready to make a deal ahead of its June 14 presidential election."
It seems that most of our "news" these days comes from sources who are anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue. And then this "news" is spread around like it's factual. "Speaking on condition of anonymity, the government official said that man bites dog." So man bites dog is repeated ad nauseum.
If the US has time to fixate on Iran, it is not busy enough doing good in the world.
According to General Wesley Clark, the master plan for the "dollarification" of the world's oil nations included seven targets, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran (Venezuela, which dared to sell their oil to China for the Yuan, is a late addition). What is notable about the original seven nations originally targeted by the US is that none of them are members of the Bank for International Settlements, the private central bankers private central bank, located in Switzerland. This meant that these nations were deciding for themselves how to run their nations' economies, rather than submit to the international private banks.
Now the bankers' gun sights are on Iran, which dares to have a government central bank and sell their oil for whatever currency they choose. The war agenda is, as always, to force Iran's oil to be sold only for dollars and to force them to accept a privately owned central bank.
re: General Clark — that's something Clark claimed he heard from someone, which is a very long way from "seven nations originally targeted by the US."
In this bad situation the most affected people are the ordinary persons who really try to earn their livings. Something must to be done in order to remove this sanctions.