VIDEO – U.S. to re-impose oil sanctions on Iran
The News in General
US sanctions, which place an embargo on oil and seek to cut off Iran’s banking sector from global markets, took effect on Monday. According to Reuters President Donald Trump called the sanctions an effective strategy. He called the 2015 deal “the worst in history”, implying that it does nothing to put restraints on Iran’s non-nuclear aggression, including the killing of dissidents abroad, its support of regional militant groups and its development of long-range ballistic missiles.
The sanctions take aim at Iran’s oil industry, a crucial element for its anaemic economy, and will end all the economic benefits America granted Tehran for its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, though Iran continues to abide by the accord that saw it limit its enrichment of uranium.
The reimposition would lead to a bigger crisis in Iran, where the national currency, the rial, has plummeted over the last year, sending prices sky high.
Iran has launched air defence drills in response to the reimposition of US sanctions. The Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, saying the country now faces “a war situation”.
The US has, however, allowed several of its allies to continue importing Iranian oil. The eight countries, which are granted temporary waivers, are China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey, The Guardian reported.
But the sanctions will not affect Iran’s trade with the rest of the world. The European Union, for example, has implemented a special system for payments that allows companies to dodge the US measures. The so-called “special purpose vehicle” will provide a way for companies to move money in and out of Iran when Western banks won’t do that.
Media Coverage
I. Online news
Fox News talks about the mass anti-government protests at the end of last year, which resulted in nearly 5000 reported arrests and at least 25 people being killed.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explains the reasons for reimposing sanctions on Iran’s oil industry. He says, “They’re aimed at a single purpose – denying the world’s largest state sponsor of terror the capacity to do things like the things they’ve done in the past few weeks.”
The New York Times focuses on the Europe’s will to stay in the nuclear deal, as the Europeans consider it crucial to their national interests. It gives attention to the EU idea for “special purpose vehicle” and there’s another article especially for that.
Huffington Post looks more on the bright side of life, analysing Donald Trump’s “Game Of Thrones”- style meme, which he posted on Friday, and the reactions it gets, most of them listed in the “WTF” category.
Meanwhile, I looked through people’s reactions on Twitter and I found an interesting “meme” response by Kirby James Wilson:
Another article highlights that sanctions seek to limit Iran’s ability to export oil by excluding companies which trade Iranian oil from doing business in the U.S. , but they will not affect Iran’s trade with the rest of the world. It points out that now Iran is not threatening to resume higher enrichment and it explains the importance of enriched uranium as a component of civil nuclear power generation and most nuclear weaponry.
Huffington post – Trump’s Meme
The Guardian is the online source listing the names of all eight US allies that are granted temporary waivers.
In “Monday US briefing” it mentions that the sanctions, which took place on Monday, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the start of the Iran hostage crisis in 1979.
The Guardian’s Monday US briefing
The BBC quotes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who said that Iran must “act like a normal country, or see its economy crumble”. On the other side, the president of Iran Hassan Rouhani insisted that Iran would “continue selling oil”. It explains quite well how the situation emerged and the consequences from it.
The CNN points out that the US withdrawal from the pact spurred an exodus of international companies from Iran, including European giants Total and Airbus. It reports that people fear sanctions may cause shortages of food and medicine, and an increase in youth unemployment.
II. BBC Radio 4- Six O’Clock News
The broadcast reports that according to Trump Iran is the single greatest threat to peace in the Middle East. The new sanctions would deprive Iran of money used for violent activities. Downing Street regreted the US decision and Britain would continue to support UK businesses expanding trade with Iran.
III. Newspapers
The Daily Telegraph explores the topic with the articles New sanctions prompt defiant ‘Death to America’ street protests in Iran and Sanctions should force Iran back to the table. The former highlights the insecurity the young generation has to face due to US sanctions. The latter points out that “the deal was supposed to foster stability in the Middle East, help the people of Iran and encourage moderate forces in the country- but it has done none of this”.
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