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Lax US rules let Chinese evade Iran sanctions: study
Washington (AFP) Jan 4, 2010 Chinese companies blacklisted in the United States for selling military equipment to Iran have been skirting sanctions due to weak enforcement, researchers said Monday. The Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, a private group that opposes proliferation, found that US companies have taken imports from sanctioned Chinese firms without facing consequences or even knowing they had done so. Chinese companies banned from the United States for dealings with Iran have managed to enter the market using alternate names or identities of their subsidiaries which may not appear on the US blacklist. "Unfortunately, in recent years more attention has been given to announcing prohibitions than to enforcing them," the report said, warning that US sanctions risked being "mostly symbolic gestures." The study listed 42 US companies that since 2006 have imported from China Precision Machinery Import and Export Shanghai Pudong Corp., which US officials brand a "serial proliferator" for long-time sales to Iran of missile technology. The sanctions are enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, whose responsibilities range from blocking transactions with accused terrorists to controlling US travel to Cuba to ensuring that diamonds do not fund African wars. The office, part of the Treasury Department, had a budget last year of 32 million dollars, which the Wisconsin Project pointed out was equivalent to a single fighter-jet. The report comes as President Barack Obama's administration considers seeking international support to expand targeted sanctions against Iran over concerns about the Islamic regime's alleged ambitions for nuclear weapons. "I think any company would balance the pros and cons of how much they have to gain from selling something to Iran if the possible outcome is that they can no longer sell to American customers," report author Matthew Godsey told AFP. "It would be a much more powerful deterrent than it is now if it was clear it would really be enforced," he said.
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US says door still open on Iran nuclear issueWashington (AFP) Jan 4, 2010 The United States said Monday "the door is still open" for Iran to meet world demands on its nuclear aims, but warned it was discussing with allies the "next steps" which could include sanctions. The Obama administration's signal of more pressure on the Islamic republic came after Tehran dismissed a US-set deadline of December 31 and issued the West a one-month "ultimatum" to accept a counte ... read more |
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