Dems Block Iran Blockade Call

By Cernig

As the campaign season heats to boiling and the fiscal ship ploughs towards that iceberg, it's time for some good news - Dems have blocked "sense of the Congress" amendments that would have rubberstamped a naval blockade of Iran. Any such blockade would be an act of war.

Howard L. Berman, California Democrat and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he has concerns about the current text and will not bring it before the committee until those issues are addressed. That, in effect, blocks the document from reaching the floor.

"If Congress is to make a statement of policy, it should encompass a strategy on how to gain consensus on multilateral sanctions to change Iran's behavior," Lynne Weil, a spokeswoman for committee, said in reference to Tehran's defiance of three U.N. Security Council resolutions.

...A similar draft has been introduced in the Senate. Although its language appears to be less controversial than the House version, it will not reach the floor either, officials said. The current House legislative session is scheduled to adjourn Friday. The Senate has not set a target date for adjournment.

AIPACS boosters are furious, of course.

But despite what the "bomb Iran" crowd are trying to spin, the last IAEA report gave no cause for added impetus to anti-Iran moves. That's reflected in the simple fact that the Bush administration has acquiesced to Russia's opinion that no new sanctions are needed with hardly a murmur. Instead a new UNSC resolution will simply be a waste of paper, reaffirming the unity of the six powers and the continuation of existing sanctions.

Comments

[Clive A.]

AIPACS boosters are furious, of course.

They were doubtlessly apoplectic in real time about this report in today's Grauniad:

Israel gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran's nuclear sites but was told by President George W Bush that he would not support it and did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency, senior European diplomatic sources have told the Guardian.

[Steve Hynd]

I read that Guardian report and was immediately suspicious that it was simply agitprop placed to keep the pressure on Iran. The only Euro leader that fits the bill for the one in the report is Sarkozy and he's been very hawkish on Iran too.

Regards, C

[Clive A.]

Cernig,

You are quite right. Izzy is quite proficient in the use of Info Ops, and the exquisite move here was to avail themselves of the Grauniad.

One can only squeeze so much from Con Coughlin.