Iran Sanctions: Options, Opportunities and Consequences.

• Author: Abrahamson, James L.

In her testimony before the House Subcommittee on National Security and International Affairs, Brookings expert Suzanne Maloney observed that events within Iran and its rejection of UN Security Council overtures have already shifted the focus of the Obama Administration's Iran policy from seeking a "comprehensive diplomatic dialogue" to "an enthusiastic embrace of punitive measures." Though not hopeful that strengthened sanctions anymore than engagement, will lead to a termination of Iran's nuclear weapons program, she makes a case for trying sanctions as an alternative to military action or efforts to overthrow Iran's government.

The persistence of Iran's Green (protest) Movement, the country's economic predicament, better US-Russian relations, and new revelations about Iran's nuclear activities have, she told Congress, created new international support for sanctions. Whether those developments have sufficiently steeled European and Russian resolve remains to be seen, and over the past decade Iran has strengthened its ability to resist sanctions.

That being the case, proposed sanctions must satisfy certain criteria:

* tailored to achieve a clear, limited, and achievable outcome;

* leading to a "diplomatic resolution to the nuclear standoff;"

* designed to achieve international consensus and support

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