US: Oil blockade constitutes an act of war

The commander of US naval forces in the Persian Gulf says any attempt by Iran to shut down the Strait of Hormuz will be an ‘act of war’.

Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of the Fifth Fleet – responsible for naval operations in the Persian Gulf -, said Monday that the White House will not allow the strategic Persian Gulf oil passage to be sealed off.

Cosgriff made the remarks after Iran warned that it would not hesitate in taking all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests in case of an enemy offensive.

“When a country comes under attack, it naturally uses all its capacities to confront the enemy,” said Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari on Saturday in reference to the country’s ability to cut oil supplies by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

The commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, however, warned that such comments by high-ranking Iranian officials are ‘not helpful’.

Cosgriff suggested that a blockade ‘will not be an action against the United States but against the international community’.

While the Bush administration continues to beat the drums of war against Tehran, Tel Aviv has fueled speculation about the possibility of an attack on Iran. Recent reports indicate that the Israeli regime may have staged military maneuvers to prepare for air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

The Islamic Republic, however, affirms that it is fully prepared to counter any act of aggression on its soil.

MD/AA

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US: EU will impose new Iran sanctions

The White House says the European Union will announce new sanctions against Iran’s Bank Melli and the country’s oil and gas sectors.

“You’re going to hear, as the (British) prime minister (Gordon Brown) indicated, out of… the EU foreign ministers’ meeting there will be an announcement of new sanctions on Iran,” White House national security advisor Stephen Hadley told reporters on Monday.

Hadley made the remarks aboard Air Force One along with President George W. Bush. They were heading to Northern Ireland on the final leg of the US Commander in Chief’s tour of Europe.

“If the Iranian regime does not change policy and accept the offer that’s extended to them it will be very clear from the EU statement this afternoon that they will place new sanctions on Iran,” he said.

“There will be financial sanctions including on Bank Melli and also looking at oil and gas sanctions that will be very much significant to the Iranian regime.”

Hadley did not say when the sanctions might be put into effect.

A British diplomat has also said that European Union foreign ministers have agreed on a new round of sanctions against Iran’s financial, oil and gas sectors.

“There is agreement among foreign ministers to bring in these sanctions … The timetable is in the next few days,” he said Monday after European Union foreign ministers met in Luxembourg.

He gave no further details of the measures to be taken against Iran, which insists its nuclear program is aimed at peaceful purposes.

Iran asserts that as a signatory to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) it is entitled to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, and the Islamic Republic is not seeking to develop nuclear bombs as such weapons have no place in its defense doctrine.

MT/AA/RA

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Brzezinski to Bush: Stop Israel

Former White House national security adviser has urged President Bush to dissuade Israel from attacking Iran over its nuclear program.

In an interview on the Bloomberg Television on Friday, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said that an armed conflict between Israel and Iran would widen to include the US and will lead to Iranian attacks against the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He noted that any military confrontation begins between Iran and the US will put the US “into a very destructive conflict from which the US will not extricate itself for many years to come.”

Brzezinski, 80 and now a counselor at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the most effective strategy for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program would be a combination of stiffer economic sanctions and positive incentives to negotiate.

He said threats of military action against Iran are “counterproductive” because they unite the Iranian population in opposition to the US.

Brzezinski said Bush has leverage to discourage an Israeli strike because Israeli warplanes would have to fly through airspace controlled by the US in order to attack Iran, and the US could deny permission to do so.

MGH/HAR

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Carter: US should be talking to Iran

Former US president Jimmy Carter says the White House should begin to directly negotiate with Iran over the country’s nuclear program.

“We need to talk to Iran now,” said president Carter in a speech at a literary festival in Hay-on-Wye in Wales on Sunday.

“(We should) continue our discussions with Iran, to let Iran know the benefits, and the detrimental side of continuing with their nuclear program,” said the 83-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The White House and its allies allege the Iranian nuclear program is aimed at developing a nuclear bomb. Tehran, however, maintains its drive is solely meant to acquire nuclear technology in order to produce electricity for a growing population.

The United States and its number one ally, Israel, are believed to be hoping to ratchet up pressure on Iran over the nuclear program by threatening to take military actions against the country’s nuclear facilities.

While stressing that the Islamic Republic has never initiated war against any country, Iran has made it clear that any aggression would be met with a maximum of force.

MD/HAR

Source: www.insight-info.com