The US threw another curve ball at their chief nemesis Iran, on Saturday, as President Obama signed into law a massive defence bill, which includes strict sanctions on Iran. The latest sanctions target Iran’s financial sector, most notably the central bank, which is the hub of Iranian money orchestrated by the finances generated by oil trade. The sanctions also encompass countries and foreign banks that are involved in doing business with Tehran, and the rationale behind the movie is to curtail Iran’s nuclear maneuvers. Washington feels that by smothering Iran’s fiscal nucleus they would be able to up the ante sufficiently and in turn force the nation to backtrack on its nuclear programme. However, the two missiles tested in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz yesterday were the metaphorical Grand Slam homer as Tehran clobbered Washington’s latest pitch out of the Middle Eastern ballpark.
Iran pulled out the Hormuz card recently, as was expounded in this space a couple of weeks back. And while the Western media initially touted it as Tehran bluffing in desperation, Iranian hierarchy’s relentless repudiation showcases the strength of the nation as it simply refuses to succumb to the US bullying. The missile tests have depicted Iranian potential when it feels that the menace of being cornered – at any level – is on the horizon. But the US is in constant denial and fails to accept the fact that a nation has the mettle to stand up to its skewed policymaking and unremitting threats. Maybe, just maybe, Washington should accept its defeat in trying to force Iran into chickening out of its uranium enrichment plans and also start reconsidering its policy in the region – as a continuum of failures continues to mar American wars on a multitude of fronts.
The prudent approach from Washington would be to revert to diplomacy in lieu of war threats, which could have massive ramifications, not only in terms of blowing oil prices out of proportion; they could also trigger a globally catastrophic war. Washington talking about potential military action in Iran every single day would only provoke Iran into further retaliation. If the US genuinely wants Tehran to take the foot of the gas in its quest for nuclear enhancement, noises about militaristic tactics are definitely not the way to go about it. US needs to explore a new approach towards dealing with Iran; for, one doesn’t need this writer’s words to realise the fact that the customary US stratagem is backfiring on a daily basis. US government would be wise in vying to settle the issue through dialogues and engagement, or else Tehran would leave no stone unturned in its quest to nourish Washington’s paranoia.
Ten days of Iranian naval war games culminated yesterday as the Iranian vessels flaunted a new “tactical formation”, which can be conjured up whenever the government decides upon the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Navy spokesman Commodore Mahmoud Mousavi also stated that for the first time, an anti-radar medium range missile was successfully launched during recent naval drills. This signals the fact that Iran’s warning about the strait’s closure is not a hollow clamour, but a veritable possibility now that Iran has paraded its naval prowess in the past week and a half.
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation has also followed suit by announcing that its scientists have tested the first nuclear rod produced from uranium ore deposits inside the country. This achievement connotes that a colossal step towards becoming a self-sufficient nuclear nation has been taken by Iran; and that it now possesses enough technological arsenal to ward off West’s interference. This is exactly what has blown the lid off Western apprehensions that Iran’s real intent – with its development of the nuclear programme – is to develop a capability to enrich uranium to the 90 per cent level that is required to synthesize a nuclear bomb.
Following the news of the sanctions on Iran, the Iranian rial plummeted to an all-time low – sliding down to around 16,000 to the US dollar. And of course that was to be expected as Iran’s fiscal locus has been shrouded by uncertainty. Nevertheless, the economic plunge has not dented Iran’s unwavering defiance, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reassured one and all that the central bank was the “backbone of dealing with the enemies’ pressure.” Characteristically Mr Ahmadinejad has rebuffed the West’s delusion with regards to squeezing Iran’s economy by reassuring the central bank of its vivacity and by clarifying that no amount of sanctions can compel the nation to bring out the white flag that the West is hankering after. With Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi vowing recently that “not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz if more sanctions were imposed”, Iran has unequivocally stated that they have scores of pinch hitters if US wants Iran to play ball.
The writer is Sub-Editor, Profit. He can be reached at [email protected]
