POLITICS: U.S. Warns EU Firms to Stay Away from Iran-Diplomats

European Union firms are being put under pressure by the United States to stop doing business with Iran. The pressure is being applied in the hopes that It can keep Iran's nuclear ambitions in check. This in turn E.U. diplomats point out, is making it harder to offer incentives to Iran to drop its program.



I do think there is good reason for the U.S. to be concerned by this. There is ample evidence that up until the eve of the war, French companies were suppling the Iraqi's with equipment and parts. To be fair, other European companies and some in the U.S. did the same. Human greed will almost always override this type of venture. By denying Iran the parts and technology needed to bolster its program, it helps in immeasurable ways. They are tough to negotiate now, how easy do you think it will be when they actually have a nuclear device?

Although publicly the United States is saying it wants to stop Iran acquiring equipment for a military nuclear program, it is interpreting this very widely to cover any "dual use" goods which could be used for either civilian or military purposes.

Dual use goods covers a lot of items.
In the sanctions against iraq they refused shipments of items like Chlorine to purify drinking water.
Just how far is this going to go against iran?

I wonder if pressure will be brought against companies like Fiat who recently agreed to manufacture cars in Iran?

To me, this is not fair.
Iran has agreed to all IAEA restrictions and inspections and they are still being subjected to these conditions.

How would the Bush administration like it if the entire World stopped their firms doing business with the USA. Let the US economy halve or drop by 2/3's as to make them less of an international bully and then threaten to invade unless they destroyed all their nuclear weapons.

Afterall the only reason why the USA should have nuclear weapons is because they have a democractically elected government and a complete checks and balance system to stop one individual launching them. Well now we all know thats not true.

I have to agree,

The rhetoric coming from the white house is getting a bit absurd. If the administration knows something beyond what they have already stated then they need to tell the people. Otherwise I am inclined to believe the military industrial complexes are up to their every 20-30 year coffer filling program again!




[edit on 29-1-2005 by IntelRetard]

This in my opinion in a pretty nonsensical request. Denying Iran trade is certainly not going to help the situation what so ever. What needs to be realised is that co-operation is the key to success and this needs to be a very two way thing. Punishing a country that has yet to do anything wrong is not the way to discourage it from doing wrong in the future, all it does is encourage resentment.

There is no way the EU will comply with this request.

Another case of "do as I say, not as I do"?

I expect to see Halliburton immediately cancel it's recent contracts with Iran

Halliburton is already doing so. While they are not allowed to directley run a business in Iran with western principal owners in place they have done so with a subsidiary in country.

thought this might add something to the conversation:

International atomic energy chief praises cooperation with Iran

DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said that he was receiving "good cooperation" from Iran on the country's controversial nuclear programme.

"I am saying that we are getting good cooperation from Iran," the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog told journalists at the World Economic Forum.

IAEA nuclear inspectors said on January 18, after completing a first inspection, that they wanted to return to a military site in Iran where Washington charges that Tehran is illicitly simulating nuclear weapons testing.

"In the last 15 months we have made good strides in understanding the nature and the scope of its programme," El Baradei said.

The IAEA had no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons through its atomic energy programme, he indicated.

"We cannot work on the basis of beliefs, we have to work on the facts," the UN nuclear chief said, while acknowledging that IAEA was relying largely on its own equipment, inspections, and information gathering.

But inspectors were receiving no information or evidence from outside sources, he cautioned.

"If people have information and on this basis are coming to the conclusion that this is a weapons programmme, then I would very much like them to share it."

"Right now we are not getting much, so we are relying on our own abilities," he added.

Washington suspects Iran is trying to make nuclear weapons and US President George W. Bush has said he could not rule out military action if Tehran could not be persuaded to abandon its nuclear energy program.

"As long as we have cooperation, and we do not see a smoking gun, the international community should bear with us," El Baradei insisted.

Iran suspended uranium enrichment, the key process that makes fuel for nuclear reactors but also the explosive core of atomic bombs, under a deal clinched in November by three EU states --Britain, France and Germany.

Talks between the trio and Tehran on a more comprehensive plan that would include economic ties are continuing, amid reports that the European Union had hardened its stance by urging Tehran to completely dismantle its nuclear fuel programme.

In Tehran Saturday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned European powers to take their nuclear negotiations with Iran seriously, otherwise Tehran will reconsider its cooperation.

"The Europeans negotiating with Iran should know that they are dealing with a great, cultured nation... if Iranian officials feel that there is no seriousness in the European negotiations, the process will change," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the Iranian media.

ElBaradei meanwhile said he hoped that the dialogue would be succesful and urged the United States to join face to face talks with Iran.

"It is vital that the United States will become part of that dialogue."

"This issue will not be resolved without face-to-face negotiations," ElBaradei added, drawing a parallel with US involvement in talks with North Korea on its nuclear ambitions.

The UN's nuclear chief warned of deeper systemic problems with the international regime aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.

"We are clearly going through a difficult time with the non-proliferation regime. We clearly have a problem on our hand," he said.

The international community's sparring with North Korea and Iran over nuclear issues, the discovery of private nuclear trafficking, and attempts by extremist groups to seek nuclear material all indicated that the system should be overhauled and the IAEA's powers stregthened, ELBaradei said.

The review of the international nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is due to be engaged this year, should include a moratorium on the development of new capacity for uranium enrichment or processing.

Technological developments and the weakness of the regime meant that a determined country could build a nuclear weapon "in a matter of months or a year", he warned, leaving the IAEA little time to react.

[edit on 29-1-2005 by Sep]

ACEoFBASE I read your post and have a question..If you were to look for a needle in a haystack where would you look first? If it were me, I would go to the bottom and it would be found in little time. Maybe Washington is using this tactic to get to the Iranians. By denying them "duel use items", and putting pressure on the E.U. to not do business with them, we are in fact putting a plug in the hole that will in short time spring a leak regardless of international regs. They have made it very clear that one of their main ambitions in being is to get rid of the Isreales. So in order to calm the storm before it starts is the prudent thing to do. It I hate to say it is only a matter of time and that whole region is going to be one hugh fireball and over what? Isreal? Why does man have to conqure over others? All it does is waste effort and time that would be of better use helping instead of hurting.

Originally posted by Kriz_4
This in my opinion in a pretty nonsensical request. Denying Iran trade is certainly not going to help the situation what so ever. What needs to be realised is that co-operation is the key to success and this needs to be a very two way thing. Punishing a country that has yet to do anything wrong is not the way to discourage it from doing wrong in the future, all it does is encourage resentment.

There is no way the EU will comply with this request.

no? not even if we put heavy tarrifs and extra taxes on their prodcts?

europe so wants peace they refuse to recognise true enemies and act before they become a threat, theyre acting as they did in 1939, just like germany, i bet iran is sneaking around to attack(israel) considering its controlled by religious fanatics i doubt thy would fear retalliiation as long as israel is destroyed and the US is crippled by losing atleast 75% of our troops and equipment in iraq and afghanistan.

For what the link said, already European companies have been working to stop the sales of items that will help Iran get nuclear power.

Looks also by the link that some of these companies are surprised by the pressure of the US on them, and they have not been consulted about incentives promised to Iran without consulting these films, By their own governments.

Now it seems that the US has in mind to stay away from giving the Iran government any other choices but sanctions.

Now US may be able to push a stop to anything that will have to do with the building of weapons, but any other types of goods will have an impact on the EU trading and profits.

I think that the EU firms will no stop their other trading of goods.

I think the way the USA is conducting itself currently is more reflective of Nazi Germany than Iran is.

Reichstag burns down, Hitler uses it to create a phantom threat and makes it a vehicle to scare the population and increase his power. Bushes uses 9/11 to do the very same thing.

Hitler invades neighbouring countries. To my knowledge Iran hasnt invaded any countries lately. Whats the tally on the USA's invasions?

Hitler systematically removes German civil liberties while simultaneously demonizing the Jews. George W. Bush's Patriot Act would feel at home in any Nazi bookshelf. He's created a phantom threat from Terrorists which is grossly overstate for his own ends.

Theres probably more

Originally posted by namehere

Originally posted by Kriz_4
This in my opinion in a pretty nonsensical request. Denying Iran trade is certainly not going to help the situation what so ever. What needs to be realised is that co-operation is the key to success and this needs to be a very two way thing. Punishing a country that has yet to do anything wrong is not the way to discourage it from doing wrong in the future, all it does is encourage resentment.

There is no way the EU will comply with this request.

no? not even if we put heavy tarrifs and extra taxes on their prodcts?

On EU products? Don't be silly. The EU would respond in the same way, in fact the EU only just lifted such measures on the US for their inappropriate trading actions.

europe so wants peace they refuse to recognise true enemies and act before they become a threat, theyre acting as they did in 1939,

Yes Europe wants peace, doesn't any intelligent nation? You make WW2 sound far more simple than it was, but yes after WW2 Europe does not want to be at war. And?

i bet iran is sneaking around to attack(israel) considering its controlled by religious fanatics

Yes Israel is controlled by religous fanatics, Iran and every single one of their neighbours dislike them but if they really wanted their total desctruction then an attack would have happend. I do not realistically see that happening.

i doubt thy would fear retalliiation as long as israel is destroyed and the US is crippled by losing atleast 75% of our troops and equipment in iraq and afghanistan.

You really have no idea about Iran at all. That is a hilarious blanket statement.

As has been stated before, America's political opinions about other countries has become irrelevant in the eyes of the international world. The only power they have that works is force, whether they use that again remains to be seen.

The EU will not comply.

[edit on 30-1-2005 by Kriz_4]

[edit on 30-1-2005 by Kriz_4]

OH, yes the EU and the UN have done a fabulous job keeping tyranny in check.

12 years and 17 UN sanctions later Saddam was still in power, defied all the sanctions and kicked IAEA inspectors out of Iraq. The UN did nothing....

The fab IAEA was watching so closely that India, Pakistain, and N Korea all got nukes.........................Really great work.

It has been proven that Europ "diplomacy" was actually being Saddams "whore" by taking billions in the "oil-for-food" scam. Yeah, that's really great "diplomacy".

The "rest" of the world are "sheep" waiting for the "islamic" wolf to kill them.......

[edit on 30-1-2005 by DrHoracid]

The paranoia, fear and hatred currently being shown by some against Iran is so reminiscent of the 50's and "reds under the bed".

Iran was making large strides towards moderacy prior to Bush's "axis of evil" crap and the rhetoric spewing forth since then from him and his Israel-focused leadership.
The US and Israel are the ones promoting tension and talking about war and strikes against Iran, all without any provocation.

As for the rest of the world being sheep, surely that applies to the majority of Americans who believe everything Bush tells them and seem to be living in a constant state of fear.

How can Americans try to criticise any nation and keep a straight face? Clearly the biggest threat to the World now, and for the last 50 years has been the United States!