In Case You Missed It: UANI-ISD Lays Out Sanctions Strategy to Target Iran's Steel Industry & Nuclear Program

In Case You Missed It: UANI-ISD Lays Out Sanctions Strategy to Target Iran's Steel Industry & Nuclear Program      UANI-ISD Advisory Board Member, Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones: "European Sanctions Legislation Should be Amended Urgently to Ban Insurance and Reinsurance for Ships that Carry Coal, Coke, and Other Raw Materials."    Stronger Sanctions Are Needed for Diplomacy to Succeed By Pauline Neville-Jones HuffPost: United Kingdom February 28, 2013 2013 looks like being a crunch year in Iran's relationship with the outside world - between a military and a negotiated outcome to her long running pursuit of nuclear capability. ... While the genuineness of Iran's willingness to negotiate on core nuclear issues remains in doubt, it is important that no slackening is signalled in the greatly strengthened sanctions regime which has played its part in getting Tehran to the table once again. Indeed, the reverse of soft pedalling is needed: remaining gaps need closing, especially those which bear directly on Iran's ability to continue her enrichment programme. One such is Iran's shipping industry -- the life line of the economy -- and certain key commodities it still carries. Most Iranian trade travels by sea. Sanctions targeting Iran's shipping industry have made it increasingly difficult for the regime to export oil and petrochemical products, import raw materials, and ship weapons to its proxies in the region. But loopholes remain. Working with United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a non-partisan, US non-profit group, seeking to prevent a nuclear armed Iran, the UK based think tank, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has for the last year argued for a strengthening of the European sanctions regime against Iranian tankers. In a move advocated by UANI-ISD, the European Union in October banned the licensing and provision of technical services and spare parts for the Iranian maritime industry. As almost all vessels of the Iranian tanker fleet are fitted with European engines, this has impeded the safety certification of these engines. And without a safety certificate, access to international harbours has become next to impossible for Iranian tankers. Furthermore, as a result of Iranian oil being delivered on uninsured, uncertified tankers sailing flagless with unsafe engines, customers of Iranian oil are now demanding significant discounts. In the much tightened sanctions regime, there still remain important loopholes, some of them directly enabling Iran to continue her nuclear programme. The ability to obtain or produce steel is an example. As the sanctions regime has made payment for imports into Iran increasingly difficult, shipments of steel have fallen drastically. As a result, Iran has turned to domestic production. To fuel this, Iranian imports of coal and coke rose dramatically in 2012. The majority of the vessels transporting these goods are either insured or reinsured in Europe. European sanctions legislation should be amended urgently to ban insurance and reinsurance for ships that carry coal, coke, and other raw materials necessary for steel production, to Iran. It is in the nature of sanctions regimes that they need constant adaptation when gaps are spotted. The case of Iran is no exception. Thus, port authorities round the world now need to be directed to prevent maritime service providers from circulating freely after visiting Iranian ports. Unless they are providing humanitarian services, ships calling at Iranian harbours should be refused entry to European and American ports, thereby compelling shipping companies and their clients to choose between access to Western markets and continuing their operations in Iran. ... Click here to read the full piece. Click here to learn about the UANI-ISD Initiative. Click here to learn more about UANI's Shipping Campaign. ### 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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