US Commander: Sanctions against Iran Not Working

Local Editor

Top US commander in the Middle East, General James Mattis, said the current sanctions and diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities are not working.

He further claimed that Tehran has a history of denial and deceit and is enriching uranium beyond any plausible peaceful purpose.

General Mattis, head of US Central Command, spoke to the Senate Armed Services Committee and said that it may still be possible to use sanctions and other pressure to bring Tehran to its senses, however, he claimed that "Iran is using the negotiations to buy time."

Earlier in the day, the world powers of the P5+1 group - the United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain plus Germany- underscored their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue.

"We reaffirm our continuing support for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue," they said.
They added that they "take note of the useful meetings [held on February 27-28 in Almaty, Kazakhstan] to carry on a constructive diplomatic process, which will be pursued actively in the months ahead on the basis of reciprocity and step-by-step approach."

The P5+1 also noted that the objective behind next meetings will be to restore "international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program."
Following the Almaty talks, Iran and the P5+1 group agreed to meet again in the city on April 5-6 to continue the negotiations after holding "expert-level" talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on March 17-18.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org