“News agencies exaggerate Clinton’s threat of sanctions”

“News agencies exaggerate Clinton’s threat of sanctions”
July 8 & 9, 2009
     Despite previous reports that the US is not open to discussing new sanctions against Iran, in a recent interview, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that “even stricter sanctions” would be pursued if the US policy of engagement failed (Reuters). Initial reports from several news agencies—including Iran’s Press TV, Israel’s Jerusalem Post and others—have quoted Clinton’s remarks without including her assertions that the US would first continue working toward engagement. Clinton also sharply criticized Tehran for suppressing domestic opposition and said that “it is not in the best interests of the world to be doing business with Iran to promote the regime” (Globovision).
     Alistair Lyon writes that Tehran’s domestic turmoil is hurting the chances for direct Iran-US engagement. The US faces the dilemma that engagement would legitimize the controversial reelection of President Ahmadinejad, which has increased international calls for new sanctions. Farideh Farhi believes Tehran may delay talks after having lost much of its negotiating power due to the recent controversies (Reuters (2)).
Reuters | Globovision | Reuters (2)