Iran Nuclear NewsAlternatives to Iran sanctions 'are worse': US

Alternatives to Iran sanctions ‘are worse’: US

-

AFP: US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew expressed hope the economic sanctions aimed at stopping Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program will work, because “the alternatives are worse.” WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew expressed hope the economic sanctions aimed at stopping Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program will work, because “the alternatives are worse.”

Lew — whose Treasury Department is tasked with enforcing the sanctions — was speaking Sunday at a conference in Aspen, Colorado.

“It would be the best thing for Iran and the best thing for the world if economic sanctions worked because the alternatives are worse for Iran and for the world,” Lew said.

“I don’t think any (US) president should make the decision about whether or not to go beyond the sanctions without having exhausted the tools available,” he added.

For years, the US and the international community have imposed an arsenal of sanctions against Iran, accusing it of using its civilian nuclear energy program as a cover for attempts to build atomic weapons — charges Tehran denies.

The US treasury secretary painted a bleak picture of Iran’s economy where, he said, “sanctions are working.”

“We are seeing it in Iran’s GDP, we are seeing it in the value of the rial, in the employment rate, in the inflation rate. It’s not a pretty picture from an economic perspective.”

Lew called the current sanctions the “toughest sanctions in history,” and credited an international united front: “We have not seen the kind of slippage in international support for sanctions that some people have speculated about.”

“The goal is not to hurt the Iranian people. The goal is to change their decision,” the Obama administration official said.

“They just had an election and we are going to need to see whether this has consequences,” he added, noting that such changes would “require decisions that are made at their highest level.”

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Iran’s Army of Starving People Like a Volcano Waiting To Explode

The oligarchic rule of the Iranian regime has constructed...

Rajavi raps nuclear deal for allowing uranium enrichment

PARIS (AFP): An exiled Iranian opposition group known for...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you