Oil and Financial Sanctions Against Iran: EU To Freeze Assets of the Iranian Central Bank and Ban all Trade in Gold with Iran

[riposte]

Eamon Gilmore, lying through his teeth, said that it is undisputed that Iran is milltarising its nuclear program.

By a mile .... Gilmore is the most duplicitous politican in the history of the country.

[riposte]

Not only that, was chatting to a PS guy from Wexford. He knew Howlin well. Last week he saw him in a supermarket as he commented that nobody wants to talk to Howlin. He said it's likely that Howlin may lose his seat in the next election for the 1st time.

DS ...... I expect the Labour Party to follow the Green Party into oblivion come next election.

[disability student]

DS ...... I expect the Labour Party to follow the Green Party into oblivion come next election.

Yes, it's only four more years to go as we are losing patience with this FG/Lab govt. Can't see Lab pulling out as they want to keep their golden plated perks such as Pension which is inflation protected.

FG/Lab have taken the electorate for fools and have shown their total contempt for the electorate.

FG are doing well at the expense of Lab.

When will our electorate wake up and kick them all out if possible as they did to FF?

[Kid Ryder]

Sounds like you are hoping for a Bay of Pigs 2. I would not be surprised to see that escalation included in the plan. However China would have to balance intervention with being frozen out of Western markets.

Regards...jmcc

To paraphrase CF, can the Yanks really stop the PRC from trading with Iran? Sure they can't stop the Russians selling them submarines ferchrissakes...

What the US/UK/Israel are hoping for is that they can get other key trade partners of Iran (France/Germany/Italy/Turkey to name several) to fall into line with their attempted isolation of the Iranian state from finance markets, aircraft spare parts, etc. We'll see if the Empire can hold the line on this - they'll have their work cut out for them since everyone badly needs the trade...

As for me 'wanting' a Bay of Pigs type scenario, my take on the situation is not indication of 'desire' for war on my part. In fact, I see it as unlikely so long as Iran's armed forces can maintain a credible conventional defence posture. The Empire likes the same fighting odds as your average Garda - heavily in their own favour.

[C. Flower]

It might make it more aggressive. The key players will be the Russians. China getting involved will upset them.

A lot. I think that there's a possibility of Iran moving towards a civil war and a more peaceful regime change would suit the West.

Iran is a very big country. That's its advantage.

Regards...jmcc

There is no sign of civil war or a wish for it in Iran. There have been some bombings by the MEK and Jundullah and possibly other groups sponsored by the US. Seymour Hersh published the details of the US budget for destabilising Iran a couple of years back. They will continue to try their standard package of "fundamental (US backed) Islamicism/jihadis" bombings (falsely reported as suicide bombings) and assassinations to destablise any areas they can. But where are the divisions they can drive a wedge into in Iran?

They seem mainly reliant on a colour revolution aspirant middle class, but surely even they can see that things have not worked out too well for the middle class in Iraq ?

Edit - the collapse of the Iranian currency against the dollar is going to increase the potential for instability.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...LEFTTopStories

[rebellin]

There is no sign of civil war or a wish for it in Iran. There have been some bombings by the MEK and Jundullah and possibly other groups sponsored by the US. Seymour Hersh published the details of the US budget for destabilising Iran a couple of years back. They will continue to try their standard package of "fundamental (US backed) Islamicism/jihadis" bombings (falsely reported as suicide bombings) and assassinations to destablise any areas they can. But where are the divisions they can drive a wedge into in Iran?
They seem mainly reliant on a colour revolution aspirant middle class, but surely even they can see that things have not worked out too well for the middle class in Iraq ?
Edit - the collapse of the Iranian currency against the dollar is going to increase the potential for instability.]

[

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called for resumption of international talks on Iran. He said; "We will keep everyone from making radical moves."
http://laroucheirishbrigade.wordpres...avrov-on-iran/

[PaddyJoe]

Reports this evening that Iran might just decide to cut off oil supplies to Europe. Now that would have interesting effects on the price

Iran has threatened to pre-empt a European embargo on its oil by halting its exports to the region immediately, a move that could hit economically weak southern European countries.

Emad Hosseini, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s energy committee, said lawmakers in Tehran were finalising a draft bill to stop all oil trade with Europe.

“If the plan is approved, the government will be obliged to stop its oil sales to Europe before the EU begins its oil embargo against Iran,” Mr Hosseini told the semi-official Mehr news agency. He said the bill could come before parliament on Sunday.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a3c73...#axzz1kVHkyJWp

[C. Flower]

Reports this evening that Iran might just decide to cut off oil supplies to Europe. Now that would have interesting effects on the price


http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a3c73...#axzz1kVHkyJWp

An estimate of 30%, according to Bloomberg, on the price. Greece and Italy in the front line.

India has made arrangements to pay Iran in gold.

[fluffybiscuits]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...8441157d16040f

Iran prepared to go back to the talks table ...

[Sam Lord]

Statement by the Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan):

The Criminal, Inhumane, Warmongering, and Illegal Sanctions on Iran

On Monday January 23, 2012, the foreign ministers of the imperialist European Union countries decided in Brussels to extend the economic sanctions on Iran by putting sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and by freezing the assets of the Iranian people in Europe. In order to inflict a heavy damage on the economy of Iran, they decided to place an embargo on the export of Iranian oil to Europe.

To impose economic blockades on and to cause hunger in Iran are acts that are internationally illegal and are crimes against humanity. Imperialists want to impose their sinister, plundering, and domineering intentions on Iran and on their “axis of evils” by creating another Iraq and a second Gaza Strip. By punishing Iran, the imperialist countries want to teach a lesson to Non-Allied countries and to those who do not submit to their dictates.

In the past, the imperialists tried to justify their crimes by passing illegal resolutions in the UN Security Council. But they imposed sanctions against Iran today without any UN authorization. The sanctions are plots by a gang of international plunderers against a UN-member state and are against the UN Charter. The US and EU sanctions against Iran lack any legal basis in the international arena. The US imposes on countries of the world the decisions made in the US Congress and pretends that the decisions are made by the international community. The illegal and bullying actions against Iran show the hegemonic and despotic nature of US imperialism.

While the foreign minister of Russia, Sergei Lawrow, stated that the “unilateral actions are useless”, he added that there was no reason to make any decision in addition to collective decision by the UN Security Council. The deputy foreign minister of the racist government of Israel, Danny Ajalon, claimed in a press interview that “These sanctions have reduced the threat of war”. Coming out of the meeting that made warmongering and threatening decisions on Iran, Ms. Catherine Ashton who is in charge of the EU international relations and the foreign minister of Sweden Mr. Carl Bidlt claimed that the basis of their work was to appeal to diplomacy and negotiation!

The imperialist powers clearly lie when they claim that they recognize the legal and indisputable right of Iran to enrich uranium. The fact is that they have monopoly in producing nuclear energy. The recognition of Iran’s right to produce nuclear energy is to break the imperialist monopoly. In a deceptive psychological war, the major powers warn the world about Iran’s nuclear bomb, but they have not disclosed any document to show the existence of this bomb. German foreign minister Guido Weserwelle shamelessly said that “We cannot accept Iran developing nuclear weapons” and that “This is not a security problem for the region only but it will disrupt the world security”. Wow! The non-existent Iranian nuclear bomb disrupts the security of the entire globe but many hundred known or secret warheads in the hands of American, British, French, and Israeli warmongers are nor dangerous for the world security! Apparently, there are good and bad atomic bombs! The arguments given by the representatives of the imperialist powers are fierce, threatening, and sickening.

The history of economic sanctions shows that the ordinary people of the countries on which the sanctions were imposed suffered the most by the sanctions. In Iran, the inflation is rapidly rising, shortage of medicine and medical equipment is already felt, and particularly patients with heart problems are under attack because the companies making the equipments are under the US sanctions and cannot export their products to Iran. This is not a concern for the imperialist powers. It is not important to US President Obama and his Iranian allies if millions of people are slaughtered in the war. Also, the sanctions on Iran give an excuse to the authority of the Islamic Republic to increase the suppression of the anti-imperialist and democratic forces in Iran.

The imperialist powers think that if their sanctions cause widespread hunger in Iran, then the people will rise up and install a Western puppet regime. This is a miscalculation because the history of the Iran shows that Iranian people have always rejected submission to any forces allied to foreign imperialist powers. The Iranian masses have no feeling except disgust and hate towards sellouts, spies, and those who carry out terrorist operations in Iran.

The fact is that the imperialists’ actions against Iran are not for eliminating the Iranian nuclear bomb. Such a bomb does exist. Iran holds a key geo-political position in the Middle East region and is the center of entangled world contradictions. To control Iran is to control an entire strategic region with enormous energy resources that the US has desired to plunder for decades. The Strait of Hormuz is a valve for export of oil to the four corners of the globe. The US imperialists wish to have control over this oil valve. The presence of the US forces in the region is a danger for the world security and is a threat particularly to the security of the Middle East. The propaganda about Iranian atomic bomb, the bomb that does not exist, is justification for aggression on Iran and for domination of the region, and Islamic Republic’s capitulation to imperialists’ demands will not change the imperialists’ nature of following their domineering goals.

The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) believes that the economic sanctions on Iran act against the masses and are inhumane. We take the imperialists, particularly the US imperialists, responsible for the suffering and misery these sanctions will cause. The sanctions on Iran are illegal, warmongering, and unjustifiable. Our Party strongly condemns the imperialist sanctions, embargoes, and threats against the Iranian masses. We believe that every progressive, human-loving, and patriotic Iranian must take a stand against the sanctions and against the imperialist-Zionist warmongering threats, and must draw a sharp line to separate enemies from the people.


The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a reactionary and Mafia-style capitalist regime. The regime of Iran has lost all its legitimacy, and the overwhelming majority of the Iranian masses are disgusted by the regime. The task of overthrowing this criminal regime is on the shoulders of the Iranian masses. The regime change by the imperialist invading forces will be for the purpose of colonizing the country and looting the resources of the nation. The imperialist powers have never supported and will never support the freedom-loving and democratic forces anywhere in the world. Their talks about freedom and human rights are nothing but smokescreens for their criminal actions, and Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan … are testimonies to this. Hypocrisy is written on their foreheads.

The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)

January 23, 2012
WWW.Toufan.org
Toufan@toufan.org

[C. Flower]

A good statement in part. As to whether or not Iran has, or wants, nuclear arms, we all know that Israel and the US are armed with them to the teeth, and have repeatedly used plutonium tipped missiles in the middle east.

We are sliding towards world war in the usual way of initial loss of friendliness, followed by lies and abuse, followed by sanctions, followed by movements of warships and other preparations.

Control by the stronger of the natural resources, energy supplies and pipe lines and territory of the weaker.

Iran's biggest crime I guess is that it is not easily susceptible to being split up and balkanised in the way that other states are being, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East to Africa. It is simply too strong to be allowed to exist, from the point of view of the US.

[C. Flower]

Desperate conditions in Iran due to the punitive sanctions imposed by the US and UK and of course backed to the hilt by Ireland, with Gilmore heading the charge.

http://www.businessinsider.com/endga...change-2012-10

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Sounds like you are hoping for a Bay of Pigs 2. I would not be surprised to see that escalation included in the plan. However China would have to balance intervention with being frozen out of Western markets.

Regards...jmcc

China could tip 'western markets' into a dustbin any time it wants. It would have to inflict damage on itself as well of course but then again it should be remembered that China is about the only superpower which would contemplate that for a long term goal.

There is no way China is going to put up with Americans extending military presence into Iran and Afghanistan.

No way will it accept the US siting missiles on its western borders.

[Count Bobulescu]

China could tip 'western markets' into a dustbin any time it wants. It would have to inflict damage on itself as well of course but then again it should be remembered that China is about the only superpower which would contemplate that for a long term goal.

There is no way China is going to put up with Americans extending military presence into Iran and Afghanistan.

No way will it accept the US siting missiles on its western borders.

Last I looked at a map, Afghanistan was east of Iran and closer to China. Afghan actually has a tiny border with China. So, if China is prepared to tolerate US military in Afghan, Korea, Japan etc. I don’t think they will worry too much about Iran, save for the integrity of their oil supply. If you follow energy issues you’ll know that the US is now much less dependent on Mid-East oil than 10-15 years ago. If the US did ever invade Iran (unlikely in my view), it would not be to commandeer oil supplies.