Useless Dialogue

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. sanctions against Iran have caused damage to the country's economy, Iranian business leaders and analysts say, even as the U.N. Security Council prepares to consider additional measures to force Iran to curb its nuclear program. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog issued a report Wednesday that sets the stage for new Security Council sanctions. A first set of limited U.N. sanctions imposed last March were focused on companies involved in the nuclear program. But unilateral actions that the United States has taken in recent months have been broader, attempting to block dollar transactions into and out of Iran and targeting energy firms and financial activity.

The U.S. measures are driving up prices in Iran while increasing business costs and making it tougher for Iran to import ordinary goods, businessmen and analysts said this week. "The sanctions imposed by the U.S., especially in the past year, have been more harmful than we expected," said Saeed Laylaz, a prominent political and economic analyst in Tehran. "The main impact is that all of our imported goods have become more expensive."

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Thursday to push ahead with Iran's nuclear activities, saying the West is trying to stop the program to prevent Iran from emerging as a world power. The head of the U.N. nuclear agency, meanwhile, said he agreed with CIA estimates that Iran was three to eight years from being able to make nuclear arms. International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei urged the United States and other U.N. Security Council members to abandon "rhetoric" in the standoff with Iran and pursue dialogue, saying it was the best way to keep the country from acquiring nuclear weapons.

• JJ Commentary: Are you kidding me? Dialogue with the Muslim hardliners yields only lies and delays. Rhetoric doesn’t help either. Sanctions help some, but the Islamo-fascists will do anything to further their plan to wipe Israel from the face of the earth – and then attempt to take over the rest of the earth.