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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Prices soar as sanctions hit ordinary Iranians |
| 2010-07-16 |
| Some worry about higher food prices, some fret about overseas travel and others about business, but it is clear that ordinary Iranians are feeling the effects of sanctions imposed over Tehran's nuclear program. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has scoffed at U.S. sanctions as "pathetic" and said a U.N. resolution had no more worth than a "used handkerchief" and, although some Iranians backed their leader's tough position, others were fearful for the future. The latest measures are mainly aimed at vital sectors of the economy such as banking and energy, which analysts say will raise the cost of trade by making it more difficult to transfer funds or insure cargoes. In shops and markets, people say they are struggling to cope, squeezed by soaring rents and grocery bills on the one hand and stagnant salaries on the other. "Prices go up as soon as there is talk of sanctions. The nation is paying a heavy price for the nuclear dispute," said an English teacher in Tehran, who asked not to be identified. "Do the officials know how difficult it has become for ordinary people to even feed their children?" said the 45-year-old father of two, who earns about $400 per month. Architect Mohammad Sadati, 36, was also in no doubt about the cause of the rising prices. "As soon as there is talk about the possibility of new sanctions against Iran, the price of everything goes up," he said. A growing number of oil companies, trading houses and other international firms have stopped doing business with Iran this year as the United States has led international efforts to isolate Tehran. Earlier this month, Washington enacted unilateral sanctions which for the first time allow it to punish the U.S. operations of international firms that supply fuel to Iran. Last week, media reports said Iranian aircraft had been denied fuel in Germany, Britain and a Gulf Arab state because of the latest U.S. sanctions. An Iranian official denied it, calling the reports "psychological warfare". However, BP confirmed on Tuesday it had stopped supplying jet fuel to Iran Air at Germany's Hamburg airport. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Russia's already undermining the sanctions-- announced yesterday new energy deals signed with Iran. [Energy Minister Sergei] Shmatko and Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi signed a "road map" outlining long-term energy cooperation Wednesday and said they would aim to form a joint bank to help fund bilateral projects and expand cooperation in natural gas deliveries and oil products. "Sanctions will not hinder us in our joint cooperation," Shmatko said when asked about joint projects after the signing ceremony. |
| Posted by: lex 2010-07-16 15:48 |
| #3 Do the sanctions tick off the Iranians citizens towards the West or towards their leaders? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-07-16 15:45 |
| #2 If the sanctions start to bite we will hear again how the US is starving children again. |
| Posted by: Bernardz 2010-07-16 11:10 |
| #1 Faster, please. Won't mean a thing without a successful overthrow of this regime. |
| Posted by: lex 2010-07-16 10:23 |