Netanyahu lauds Iran sanctions
Latest round of sanctions against Tehran a positive step, must be followed by firm measures, PM says; however, political sources say latest sanctions ineffective, won't prompt Iran to abandon nuke aspirations
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the Security Council's decision Wednesday to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran.
"The United States enlisted the support of an impressive majority against Iran's noncompliance," the prime minister said. "This decision makes it clear to Iran that leading world powers object to its nuclear program."
The prime minister specifically praised US President Barack Obama for his determined effort to lead the sanctions, calling the UN's decision a "positive step."
"The international community must continue to wage the battle against the Iranian threat as a high priority," Netanyahu added. "I hope the positive step we achieved today will be followed by firm measures – including sanctions on the Iranian energy market."
Israeli skepticism
Earlier Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry also issued a statement lauding the UN resolution against Iran.Israel sees the decision as an important step, the Ministry said, reiterating that Iran must comply with International demands. The statement added that the implications of Iran's radical ideology and nuclear weapons coming together would be "catastrophic."
Yet despite the official statements, political sources told Ynet that the sanctions approved Wednesday are ineffective. Some sources, including government ministers, made it clear that the West must impose paralyzing, direct sanctions against Tehran, adding that the latest sanctions would not prompt Iran to abandon its nuclear aspirations.
"Should such harsh sanctions not be imposed, Ahmadinejad will continue on the same path, while attempting to circumvent the sanctions imposed in the current round," one source said. "He already did it before. I'm skeptical about the possibility that within 90 days…the IAEA would be able to report that Tehran abandoned its nuclear armament process."
