Obama: Sanctions send ‘an unmistakable message’ to Iran

President Barack Obama hailed sanctions on Iran approved Wednesday by
the United Nations Security Council, while key lawmakers said they
would move forward with harsher penalties intended to punish the
Iranian regime.

Obama lauded the Security Council’s move to vote “overwhelmingly”
for stronger sanctions on Iran, which he described as the “most
comprehensive” that nation has faced.

{mosads}Turkey and Brazil were the only two members of the Security
Council to vote against the sanctions, with Lebanon abstaining. In a
diplomatic triumph for Obama, permanent Security Council members Russia
and China supported the U.S.

Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, said the resolution was a “powerful statement of
opposition by the international community” to Iran’s nuclear program
and a critical step in strengthening sanctions intended to convince
Iran to suspend its program.

The step is expected to lead to tougher sanctions from the U.S. and
European Union, and Berman pledged to move forward with legislation
later this month.

“We now look to the European Union and other key nations that share
our deep concern about Iran’s nuclear intentions to build on the
Security Council resolution by imposing tougher national measures that
will deepen Iran’s isolation and, hopefully, bring the Iranian
leadership to its senses,” Berman said.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also voiced support for unilateral sanctions.

“A nuclear Iran is simply unacceptable, and Congress will soon move
forward on Iran sanctions legislation targeted at Iran’s petroleum
industry,” she said in a statement.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Wednesday said he did
not know if the administration was still seeking a delay in unilateral
sanctions from Congress.

While he stressed that the sanctions “do not close the door on
diplomacy,” Obama said the action sends “an unmistakable message about
the international community’s commitment to stopping the spread of
nuclear weapons.”

“Actions do have consequences,” Obama said. “And today the Iranian government will face some of those consequences.”

The comments disappointed groups opposed to unilateral U.S. sanctions.

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 “It’s clear from Mr. Berman’s statement today … that far from
breathing room for the president, the Congress will now move quickly to
act unilaterally on top of the U.N. sanctions,” said Bill Reinsch,
president of the National Foreign Trade Council.

Reinsch’s group supports multilateral efforts, but argues unilateral
sanctions hurt U.S. companies while doing little to restrain behavior
by the sanctioned regime.

“I wish they’d take a deep breath before they do that, but it doesn’t sound like they will,” he said.

The sanctions approved by the Security Council include increased
scrutiny of cargo going into and out of Iran, a ban on certain
conventional weapons trading or selling with Iran and a ban on Iranian
efforts to invest in “sensitive nuclear activities abroad.”

The resolution also restates U.N. demands that Iran stop enriching uranium.

The House and Senate have both approved bills that would place
sanctions on companies that sell gasoline to Iran or help that
country’s petroleum business.

The legislation would also prevent foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies from doing business with Iranian oil companies.

Business groups are lobbying for some changes to the legislation,
which they see as punishing for U.S. business since it could prevent
American companies from trading with firms that have any ties to Iran’s
petroleum sector.

{mosads}A study by the National Association of Manufacturers
estimates there could be a $25 billion drop in revenue from U.S exports
as well as 210,000 jobs lost if the bill becomes law.

In a May 3 letter, the chief lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce said the legislation could force U.S. aircraft manufacturers
to lose credit financing, disrupt insurance for U.S. businesses and
stop U.S. oil companies from exploring for energy resources around the
world.

Speaking in the White House Diplomatic Room, Obama said the U.S.
“will ensure that these sanctions are vigorously enforced,” but
cautioned that penalties will not likely result in immediate Iranian
compliance.

“We know that the Iranian government will not change its behavior overnight,” Obama said.

The White House pointed out that the new sanctions complement
Obama’s diplomatic approach to Iran, and that Resolution 1929 “builds
on three previous rounds of U.N. sanctions on Iran by strengthening and
expanding existing measures and breaking ground in several new areas.”

“It is a clear and strong response to Iran’s refusal to address
international concerns over its nuclear program,” the White House said.

The resolution “increases the cost to Iran’s leadership of their
continued defiance of the international community, and aims to persuade
Iran that it is in its interest to peacefully resolve concerns about
its nuclear program.”

The White House said it will continue to work with its international
partners to “forge a peaceful solution,” but it warned that Iran must
demonstrate a willingness to meet its international obligations.

“The United States remains open to dialogue, but Iran must live up
to its obligations and clearly demonstrate to the international
community the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities,” a White House
release said.

The White House dismissed the Security Council’s two nay votes —
Turkey’s and Brazil’s — saying they were not surprising since the two
countries have been pursuing a different approach to Iran. Gibbs said
the absence of a unanimous vote does nothing to obscure the message to
Iran.

“Sixteen months ago, when the president took office, the resolution
that was passed today could not have passed the United Nations Security
Council,” Gibbs said. “We would not have gotten Russia. We would not
have gotten China.

“Look, people can debate 12 votes, 15 votes, whatever. The bottom
line is there is a greater sanctions regime on the government in Iran
today than there was yesterday — than there has been at any other
point,” Gibbs said.

This story was originally posted at 11:48 AM and updated at 1:40 p.m. and 8:42 p.m.