Iran has been given the chance to suspend uranium enrichment or face harsh sanctions and isolation. If Iran ignores the ultimatum, the penalty against Iran is planned to be a partial international naval blockade of its Gulf ports.
A 10-day exercise to prepare for this blockade against Iran is taking place in the Atlantic Ocean, which includes more than a dozen ships, including the US carrier strike group Theodore Roosevelt and expeditionary strike group Iwo Jima; the French submarine Amethyste, and the British HMS Illustrious Carrier Strike Group, as well as a Brazilian frigate. Six vessels from the Norfolk Naval State will play the role of “enemy” forces.
The exercise is scheduled to end July 31, two days before the US-European ultimatum to Iran expires. The failure of the Geneva talks prompted the US State Department to issue a statement giving Tehran the option of “cooperation or confrontation.”
The partial blockade of Iran’s shores is a key element of the new sanctions. The blockade would be limited to withholding from Iran supplies of benzene and other refined oil products – not foodstuffs or other commodities.
The joint endeavor signifies that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is fully committed to a joint US-European military action if necessary to halt Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon.
On July 21, British prime minister George Brown said: Iran must ‘’suspend its nuclear program and accept our offer of negotiations or face growing isolation and the collective response not of one nation but of many nations.”
by Douglas Gibbs on Wed, Jul 23, 2008