TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States has imposed new sanctions towards Iran and its nuclear development program. The US targets are Iran's money, automotive industry, and directly making Iranian money invaluable in the foreign market.
The order of President Barack Obama has widened the scope of sanction. The goal of the set of sanctions is to paralyze Iran's economy and press Iran into accepting the international demand to prove that its nuclear program is peaceful. The US is convinced that Iran has the ambition to make nuclear weapons, even if Tehran has continuously denied the accusation.
"We hold the door open to a diplomatic solution that allows Iran to rejoin the community of nations if they meet their obligations. However, Iran must understand that time is not unlimited," said White House press secretary Jay Carney. He added that if the Iranian government continues down its current path, there might be an addition of sanctions.
The impact of the US sanction has become the main issue in Iran, which is about to hold an election on June 14 to replace President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, a US official claimed that the decision to impose a new sanction is unrelated with Iran’s presidential election.
The previous US sanctions had targeted crucial sectors, like Iran's oil export. Last week, a new sanction was given towards Iran's petrochemical industries, that are estimated to be the country's biggest fund source for Tehran's nuclear program after the oil industry.
THE HINDU | NATALIA SANTI
