Washington is narrowing its options on Iran

Tony Badran
Now Lebanon
05 January '10

December 31 has come and gone, and with it the deadline set by the Obama administration for Iran to respond to the latest offer on its nuclear program. Where does the United States’ policy on Iran now stand? Recent reports have come out that the administration is preparing to go once again to the UN Security Council in February to seek sanctions.

However, these are unlikely to be of the “crippling” kind that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised last year. While there is a movement in Congress to slap sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, the administration has shown no appetite to support it. According to one official, “We have never been attracted to the idea of trying to get the whole world to cordon off their economy.” Instead, the US is apparently gearing up for “targeted sanctions” – measures, that is, directed at specific regime elements, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

On the basis of past experience, it is highly doubtful that this move will actually convince the Iranian regime to drop its quest for nuclear power, and most probably weapons. The shift from “crippling” to “targeted” sanctions reflects Washington’s continued inability to marshal support for stronger measures, such as targeting Iran’s energy sector.

Moreover, one suspects that when push comes to shove, the Obama administration will find it easier than its predecessor to resign itself to a nuclear Iran. Many observers already concluded as much in July, when Clinton remarked that Washington would extend its defense umbrella over the Middle East. Furthermore, commentators close to the administration are working to create an intellectual climate in which “containment” of nuclear Iran is viewed as the wisest policy.

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