The UN, US and EU imposed sanctions to punish the Iranian government for supposed violatiions of resolutions restricting its nuclear programme. Western officials believe that sanctions would put the regime under pressure to comply. Yet the US/EU governments are choosing to punish 80 million innocent people for actions that are entirely out of their hands. This is why wars are fought and millions of people are killed, because actions taken by individuals in their own interests can ultimately be blamed on entire countries with innocent people losing their lives because they were being punished for something that they had nothing to do with.
The crippling sanctions have paralyzed the Iranian economy, but have yet to achieve their stated aim, which is to force the Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear program. They may never achieve that aim, since the Iranian leaders have no compunction in increasing the hardships of a population already subject to the brutal repression of a harsh theocracy. Prices for basic food items such as milk, bread, rice, yoghurt and vegetables have at least doubled since the beginning of the year. The price of meat has put it beyond the reach of many working class families.
Data from maritime intelligence publisher IHS Fairplay showed the overall number of vessels calling at Iranian ports in the year to early October was 980. That figure for more than three quarters of this year compares with 2,740 ships for the whole of 2011 and 3,407 for 2010. Of that total, the number of visits by container ships - which carry consumer goods ranging from foodstuffs and household items to clothing and toys - was 86 so far this year, compared with 273 for the whole of 2011 and 378 in 2010. Only eight refrigerated cargo vessels carrying fresh produce including bananas called at Iranian ports so far this year, down from 16 in 2011 and 36 in 2010, the IHS Fairplay data showed. Even fishing trawlers unloading their catch have slumped to five from 14 last year and 20 in 2010. Iran has faced an exodus of international companies providing marine-related services including certification of its fleet, which is vital for securing insurance and ports access. European firms will be banned from contracting any ships to transport Iranian oil—even if they are from outside the bloc. There will be a ban on marine equipment sales and European firms will be prohibited from constructing oil tankers for Iran. Lack of spare parts for civilian aircraft is creating a danger for Iranians flying on the national airline, and could lead to deadly crashes. Iranian pilot and peace activist Captain Hooshang Shahbazi delivered a speech before the UN Human Rights Council “Unfortunately sanctions imposed by the Western countries on civilian airlines in Iran have caused a considerable number of plane crashes and led to the death of hundreds of passengers, which according to the aviation statistics is above the average death toll from such unfortunate accidents in the world… Civil aviation and people’s lives have nothing to do with military issues. The principle of using equal air transportation facilities and services all around the world is undoubtedly a right. It isn’t fair for ordinary people to be victims of political tensions and lose their lives to such issues...Mr. Obama! How am I supposed to believe your sincerity when you send your message of fraternity and friendship to Iranian people during the Persian New Year, Nowrouz, yet the next day move to endanger the lives of my countrymen by extending the sanctions on selling civilian airplane spare parts?” ” http://www.globalresearch.ca/economic-sanctions-portray-west-s-duplicity-on-iran/31689 The truth is that the Obama administration has imposed the harshest set of international sanctions Iran has ever faced, and it has begun to have dreadful effects on the Iranian economy. [see here]
In fact, the sanctions have had the perverse effect of immensely increasing the wealth and economic power of the regime's leadership and its instrument of repression, the Revolutionary Guards. What they have done is to lead to mass unemployment and the impoverishment of the average Iranian family, who cannot afford basic foods and needed drugs. In addition, they have led to dangerous shortages of drugs and medical equipment. In fact, the drug shortage is so drastic that scores of severely ill people, cancer patients, hemophiliacs and countless others are in mortal danger. Ahmad Ghavidel, head of the Iranian Hemophilia Society, a nongovernmental organization that assists about 8,000 patients, says access to medicine has become increasingly limited "This is a blatant hostage-taking of the most vulnerable people by countries which claim they care about human rights,” Ghavidel said. “Even a few days of delay can have serious consequences like hemorrhage and disability.” http://www.lobelog.com/un-chief-sanctions-affecting-humanitarian-operations-in-iran/
The problem is not with actual prohibitions on these items, which benefit from a waiver, but the financial sanctions, which prevent Iranians from paying for their importation. Once again, we are not talking about the regime's elites, who continue to prosper, but the ordinary people. Sick people and children are particularly at risk.
“Even companies that have obtained the requisite license to import food and medicine are facing difficulties in finding third-country banks to process the transactions,” U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly
Sometimes the obvious needs to be said: The U.S. is hurting innocent people in Iran. Do the ends justify the means? The economic sanctions of the West against Iran clearly cannot be justified. As a signatory under the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, Iran is permitted to develop nuclear material for energy and medical purposes. Israel, on the other hand, is not a signatory of the NPT (India and Pakistan are also non-signatories) and refuses to acknowledge its substantial nuclear weapons stockpile and program, a fact rarely brought up by the media. In order to make sanctions and an ultimate attack palatable to the American people, Iran must be characterized as a rogue nation ruled by madmen who support terrorism around the world. This is the fundamental lie of war, the idea that it is morally justified to punish large groups of people for the actions of a few. It is essentially a repeat of Iraq a decade ago.
One of the real tragedies is that the sanctions that are inflicting genuine suffering upon the innocent and vulnerable will not even have their proclaimed desired effect.
"The sanctions ... could help weaken the regime. It could create some serious economic problems. Will it deter them from their ambitions with regards to nuclear capability? Probably not." explained Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta
The crippling sanctions have paralyzed the Iranian economy, but have yet to achieve their stated aim, which is to force the Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear program. They may never achieve that aim, since the Iranian leaders have no compunction in increasing the hardships of a population already subject to the brutal repression of a harsh theocracy. Prices for basic food items such as milk, bread, rice, yoghurt and vegetables have at least doubled since the beginning of the year. The price of meat has put it beyond the reach of many working class families.
Data from maritime intelligence publisher IHS Fairplay showed the overall number of vessels calling at Iranian ports in the year to early October was 980. That figure for more than three quarters of this year compares with 2,740 ships for the whole of 2011 and 3,407 for 2010. Of that total, the number of visits by container ships - which carry consumer goods ranging from foodstuffs and household items to clothing and toys - was 86 so far this year, compared with 273 for the whole of 2011 and 378 in 2010. Only eight refrigerated cargo vessels carrying fresh produce including bananas called at Iranian ports so far this year, down from 16 in 2011 and 36 in 2010, the IHS Fairplay data showed. Even fishing trawlers unloading their catch have slumped to five from 14 last year and 20 in 2010. Iran has faced an exodus of international companies providing marine-related services including certification of its fleet, which is vital for securing insurance and ports access. European firms will be banned from contracting any ships to transport Iranian oil—even if they are from outside the bloc. There will be a ban on marine equipment sales and European firms will be prohibited from constructing oil tankers for Iran. Lack of spare parts for civilian aircraft is creating a danger for Iranians flying on the national airline, and could lead to deadly crashes. Iranian pilot and peace activist Captain Hooshang Shahbazi delivered a speech before the UN Human Rights Council “Unfortunately sanctions imposed by the Western countries on civilian airlines in Iran have caused a considerable number of plane crashes and led to the death of hundreds of passengers, which according to the aviation statistics is above the average death toll from such unfortunate accidents in the world… Civil aviation and people’s lives have nothing to do with military issues. The principle of using equal air transportation facilities and services all around the world is undoubtedly a right. It isn’t fair for ordinary people to be victims of political tensions and lose their lives to such issues...Mr. Obama! How am I supposed to believe your sincerity when you send your message of fraternity and friendship to Iranian people during the Persian New Year, Nowrouz, yet the next day move to endanger the lives of my countrymen by extending the sanctions on selling civilian airplane spare parts?” ” http://www.globalresearch.ca/economic-sanctions-portray-west-s-duplicity-on-iran/31689 The truth is that the Obama administration has imposed the harshest set of international sanctions Iran has ever faced, and it has begun to have dreadful effects on the Iranian economy. [see here]
In fact, the sanctions have had the perverse effect of immensely increasing the wealth and economic power of the regime's leadership and its instrument of repression, the Revolutionary Guards. What they have done is to lead to mass unemployment and the impoverishment of the average Iranian family, who cannot afford basic foods and needed drugs. In addition, they have led to dangerous shortages of drugs and medical equipment. In fact, the drug shortage is so drastic that scores of severely ill people, cancer patients, hemophiliacs and countless others are in mortal danger. Ahmad Ghavidel, head of the Iranian Hemophilia Society, a nongovernmental organization that assists about 8,000 patients, says access to medicine has become increasingly limited "This is a blatant hostage-taking of the most vulnerable people by countries which claim they care about human rights,” Ghavidel said. “Even a few days of delay can have serious consequences like hemorrhage and disability.” http://www.lobelog.com/un-chief-sanctions-affecting-humanitarian-operations-in-iran/
The problem is not with actual prohibitions on these items, which benefit from a waiver, but the financial sanctions, which prevent Iranians from paying for their importation. Once again, we are not talking about the regime's elites, who continue to prosper, but the ordinary people. Sick people and children are particularly at risk.
“Even companies that have obtained the requisite license to import food and medicine are facing difficulties in finding third-country banks to process the transactions,” U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly
Sometimes the obvious needs to be said: The U.S. is hurting innocent people in Iran. Do the ends justify the means? The economic sanctions of the West against Iran clearly cannot be justified. As a signatory under the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, Iran is permitted to develop nuclear material for energy and medical purposes. Israel, on the other hand, is not a signatory of the NPT (India and Pakistan are also non-signatories) and refuses to acknowledge its substantial nuclear weapons stockpile and program, a fact rarely brought up by the media. In order to make sanctions and an ultimate attack palatable to the American people, Iran must be characterized as a rogue nation ruled by madmen who support terrorism around the world. This is the fundamental lie of war, the idea that it is morally justified to punish large groups of people for the actions of a few. It is essentially a repeat of Iraq a decade ago.
One of the real tragedies is that the sanctions that are inflicting genuine suffering upon the innocent and vulnerable will not even have their proclaimed desired effect.
"The sanctions ... could help weaken the regime. It could create some serious economic problems. Will it deter them from their ambitions with regards to nuclear capability? Probably not." explained Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta
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