Iran sanctions could lead to war, Lula says

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Brazil, March 10: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned that imposing new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program would be a very dangerous step.

Sanctions could isolate Iran so much that tensions would spiral out of control, Lula told AP in an interview on Tuesday.

He suggested that new Iran sanctions might even lead to war.

"We don't want to repeat in Iran what happened in Iraq," Lula said, a week after rebuffing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's appeal for Brazilian support for a new round of tough sanctions.

Lula said that Brazil will not support the calls for sanctions, but added that during his visit to Tehran in May, he will try to convince President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to restart negotiations to allay concerns about the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.

"I have already told them (Iranian officials) that a war must be avoided at all costs," Lula said. "In whose interest is a war?"

Lula said Brazil is uniquely qualified to be an intermediary in negotiations with Iran because Brazil has a peaceful nuclear program and its growing economic clout allows it to play a more prominent role on the international stage.

I do worry that Lula could be correct.

[edit on 3/10/10 by Misoir]

Not only does Brazil have a very good nuclear program themselves they've almost completely eliminated their dependence on oil thanks to their sugar cane industry.

If we enter a war with Iran it will be economic suicide. The final blow to make sure we never gain footing again. The amount of incompetence and complete lack of responsibility in Washington is leading us down a one way street to disaster. So either enjoy the ride or put your foot down.

Brazil is right in not supporting these sanctions. I would expect the same from our citizens but, when the ratings of a news program multiply with each use of the word 'terrorists', i doubt that even 1/4 of us will be calling bull# on this one until it's too late. What am i saying, I bet that half of our population doesn't even know what a sanction is.

This is pointless......
Down with Iran!!

Economic sanctions did not work in the past. It does not work in the present. And it will not work in the future. If anything, it will cause more resentment and instability in the region.
Here's one example. Germany call for sanctions against Iran, but at the same time many German companies still trade with Iran. They avoid sanctions by shipping their goods thru layers of 3rd party middlemen.

Sounds like someone reading tea leaves, but...

Hundreds of powerful US “bunker-buster” bombs are being shipped from California to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for a possible attack on Iran.

The Sunday Herald can reveal that the US government signed a contract in January to transport 10 ammunition containers to the island. According to a cargo manifest from the US navy, this included 387 “Blu” bombs used for blasting hardened or underground structures.

Experts say that they are being put in place for an assault on Iran’s controversial nuclear facilities. There has long been speculation that the US military is preparing for such an attack, should diplomacy fail to persuade Iran not to make nuclear weapons.

Although Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, it is used by the US as a military base under an agreement made in 1971. The agreement led to 2,000 native islanders being forcibly evicted to the Seychelles and Mauritius.

The Sunday Herald reported in 2007 that stealth bomber hangers on the island were being equipped to take bunker-buster bombs.

...

Contract details for the shipment to Diego Garcia were posted on an international tenders’ website by the US navy.

A shipping company based in Florida, Superior Maritime Services, will be paid $699,500 to carry many thousands of military items from Concord, California, to Diego Garcia.

Crucially, the cargo includes 195 smart, guided, Blu-110 bombs and 192 massive 2000lb Blu-117 bombs.

“They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran,” said Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London, co-author of a recent study on US preparations for an attack on Iran. “US bombers are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours,” he added.

The preparations were being made by the US military, but it would be up to President Obama to make the final decision. He may decide that it would be better for the US to act instead of Israel, Plesch argued.

“The US is not publicising the scale of these preparations to deter Iran, tending to make confrontation more likely,” he added. “The US ... is using its forces as part of an overall strategy of shaping Iran’s actions.”

According to Ian Davis, director of the new independent thinktank, Nato Watch, the shipment to Diego Garcia is a major concern. “We would urge the US to clarify its intentions for these weapons, and the Foreign Office to clarify its attitude to the use of Diego Garcia for an attack on Iran,” he said.

For Alan Mackinnon, chair of Scottish CND, the revelation was “extremely worrying”. He stated: “It is clear that the US government continues to beat the drums of war over Iran, most recently in the statements of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

“It is depressingly similar to the rhetoric we heard prior to the war in Iraq in 2003.”

The British Ministry of Defence has said in the past that the US government would need permission to use Diego Garcia for offensive action. It has already been used for strikes against Iraq during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars.

Final destination Iran?