US ambassador: Still time for Iran sanctions
James Cunningham tells Ynet that United States and Israel 'see eye to eye' on sanctions issue. Claims that US approach has changed are based on incorrect analysis, he adds
The US and Israel completely see eye to eye on the issue of sanctions against Iran, US Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham said Wednesday in an interview to Ynet.
Cunningham said that effective sanctions can be imposed on the Iranian regime, but that it will take some time to garner broad international consensus on the issue. However, according to him, there is enough time to do so.
The US approach to sanctions on Iran has not changed, he said. He reiterated that the US continues to support strong and effective sanctions that target the regime.
Cunningham said that there likely has been a change in the approach of other countries on the matter, but that claims of a changed American approach to sanctions are based on incorrect analysis. He added that the world still has time to impose effective sanctions and that concerns that the international community has missed the boat are unfounded.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday Russia will consider "smart" sanctions against Iran if diplomatic efforts fail to prompt Tehran to give in to international demands over its nuclear program.
Medvedev said he hopes sanctions can be avoided and that they must mot target Iran's civilian population.
Yet, the next day, a softer message was heard from the country's foreign minister. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that diplomatic efforts to avoid imposing sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program were not yet exhausted.
"We will concentrate all efforts on finding political and diplomatic solutions. These efforts have not yet been exhausted," he told journalists during a trip to Paris.
China on Tuesday called for more talks to resolve the Iranian nuclear standoff, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions against Tehran.
"We believe there is still room for diplomatic efforts and parties concerned should step up efforts," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters, when asked to comment on Medvedev's statement.
Reuters contributed to this report
