US to woo Mideast on Iran sanctions

US to woo Mideast on Iran sanctions
Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:39AM
The undersecretary of the US Department of the Treasury plans to visit Middle Eastern countries to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

Stuart Levey, who is scheduled to tour a number of Persian Gulf states later this week, will attempt to convince officials of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Lebanon to step up pressure on Tehran.

On Sunday, the US Treasury undersecretary said in a statement, made public to UAE media, that his tour will focus on “the new UN Security Council resolution last June imposing a fourth round of sanctions on Tehran” and to “make sure, especially the new legislation passed by the US (last June) with respect to the sanctions, is well understood by (US) partners in the region.”

Levey has particularly targeted Iran's large trade volume with the UAE.

He says Washington is also planning to send envoys to Brazil, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, and Ecuador to discuss how to minimize their economic ties with Iran.

Tehran, however, insists on its nuclear stance, saying sanctions cannot harm its economy.

While continuing to encourage Russia and China to follow its lead in implementing tougher sanctions against the Islamic Republic, the US is trying to cajole Dubai of the UAE into limiting its trade relations with Tehran.

Dubai, which is reportedly home to around 500,000 Iranians, is widely regarded as one of Iran's largest trading partners in the region.

According to some Iranian Embassy officials in Abu Dhabi, trade between Iran and Dubai topped $15 billion in 2009Source: http://newsessentials.blogspot.com/2010/08/us-to-woo-mideast-on-iran-sanctions.html