Come see the irony in the proposed gasoline sanctions on Iran, boys and girls: pushed by the pro-Israeli lobby, the US has been demanding that Iran abandon uranium enrichment, the process of making nuclear reactor fuel. The US insists that Iran instead excusively import its reactor fuel from other countries, such as Russia -- the same country that Cheney accused of practicing energy blackmail.
THe US claims that they are simply worried about the potential of countries using their uranium enrichment programs to making nuclear bombs. The Iranians -- and the rest of the developing world -- are concerned that this is merely a pretext to monopolize nuclear fuel production, and that any country that accepts such an arrangement would be open to energy blackmail in the form of sanctions and fuel cut-offs.
And in order to force Iran to accept this arrangement, the US Congress proposes to impose a sanctions on the supply of refined gasoline to Iran -- thus only proving that Iran's concerns about energy cut-offs are valid.
Nicely written! An example worthy of Niebuhr.
Instead of offering to continue economic sanctions in return for Iran renouncing its nuclear research, perhaps Washington could consider offering them a modern gasoline refinery. Ah, no, I guess not. Can't have those Iranians learning petrochemical technology. Before we know it, they'd be coming after us in sports cars.
Posted by: William deB. Mills | May 27, 2009 at 06:24 PM