Obama's Iran Sanctions--Iranians Can Rest Easy Now

We are now working with our partners in the United Nations on new Security Council sanctions that will show Iran's leaders that there are real consequences for their intransigence, that their choice is to live up to their international obligations. Our aim is not incremental sanctions, but sanctions that will bite.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

No doubt the Iranians are quaking in their boots sandals.
But then again, they probably saw this coming:

White House seeks to soften Iran sanctions
Wants exemption for firms based in China and Russia

The Obama administration is pressing Congress to provide an exemption from Iran sanctions to companies based in "cooperating countries," a move that likely would exempt Chinese and Russian concerns from penalties meant to discourage investment in Iran.

The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act is in a House-Senate conference committee and is expected to reach President Obama's desk by Memorial Day.

Just keep in mind that this idea of excluding "cooperating countries" is not Congress's idea:

Neither the House nor Senate version of the bill includes a "cooperating countries" provision even though the administration asked the leading sponsors of the Senate version of the bill nearly six months ago to include one.[emphasis added]

Six months ago--so the Obama administration was asking for a watered-down version of this bill: that would be before the Gates memorandum in January that warned that the Obama administration had no effective long-range policy for dealing with Iran.

Looks like the White House never got the memo.

I guess we misunderstood what Clinton meant by "biting sanctions"--but at least they look good when you have to go out in public and rage against Iran.

Threat of Iranian Sanctions

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