In Case You Missed It: "Scaling the Pressure Back Now Could Prove a Serious Mistake"

In Case You Missed It: "Scaling the Pressure Back Now Could Prove a Serious Mistake" The Times Publishes Op-Ed by UANI-ISD Board Member, General Lord Charles Guthrie Keep up the Pressure and Iran will Buckle New sanctions on banks, ports and shipping will push Tehran to curb its nuclear ambitions By General Lord Charles Guthrie, Chief of the Defence Staff The [UK] Times May 22, 2012 The Islamic Republic of Iran is often described as an "irrational actor" on the world stage. That is why so many fear Tehran building a nuclear arsenal. But Iran does respond to pressure - and if we intensify that pressure we can make Iran follow its self-interest and give up its nuclear ambitions. ... The latest packages of sanctions were passed only a few months ago. This summer further tough measures against the Iranian oil and gas industry are due to come into force. They are starting to bite. Recently there has been a dramatic devaluation of the Iranian rial as well as a surge in inflation coupled with a significant fall in Iranian state revenues. Although domestic mismanagement has contributed to Iran's current economic malaise, international sanctions have finally influenced the decision-making of the leadership of the Islamic Republic. Statements from Iranian officials in the past few months reveal that Tehran is getting worried about the impact of sanctions. ... Scaling the pressure back now could prove a serious mistake. Iran must conclusively demonstrate that it is limiting its nuclear programme to civilian applications. This is not a political demand but Iran's legal obligation as a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty. ... Sanctions are a blunt tool and there is ultimately no guarantee that they will force Iran to change course. But they are our best chance of success. There's a precedent for the regime buckling under pressure. Despite its bellicose noises, Iran sued for peace with Iraq in 1988 and accepted a UN ceasefire once it had no prospect of securing a military victory. ... Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank is the former Chief of the Defence Staff and a member of the advisory board of the Iran initiative of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue/United Against a Nuclear Iran. Click here to read the entire piece. ###                                                                        United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran should concern every American and be unacceptable to the community of nations. Since 1979 the Iranian regime, most recently under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's leadership, has demonstrated increasingly threatening behavior and rhetoric toward the US and the West. Iran continues to defy the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations in their attempts to monitor its nuclear activities. A number of Arab states have warned that Iran's development of nuclear weapons poses a threat to Middle East stability and could provoke a regional nuclear arms race. In short, the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran is a danger to world peace. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons. The Objectives of United Against a Nuclear Iran Inform the public about the nature of the Iranian regime, including its desire and intent to possess nuclear weapons, as well as Iran's role as a state sponsor of global terrorism, and a major violator of human rights at home and abroad; Heighten awareness nationally and internationally about the danger that a nuclear armed Iran poses to the region and the world; Mobilize public support, utilize media outreach, and persuade our elected leaders to voice a robust and united American opposition to a nuclear Iran; Lay the groundwork for effective US policies in coordination with European and other allies; Persuade the regime in Tehran to desist from its quest for nuclear weapons, while striving not to punish the Iranian people, and; Promote efforts that focus on vigorous national and international, social, economic, political and diplomatic measures. UANI is led by an advisory board of outstanding national figures representing all sectors of our country.

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