Israel lashes out at Iran trade allies

Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak has blasted Russia, China and India for doing business with Iran, ignoring international sanctions.  In a meeting with European Union ambassadors on Wednesday, Barak criticized the three states for not joining the countries, which have imposed sanctions on Iran, reproaching them for being Tehran's business allies.   "The Iranians are determined to develop nuclear power, and we believe it is delusional to think otherwise. Iran's plan jeopardizes both regional stability and that of the entire world," the Israeli official noted. Barak made the remarks following a US request for an 'Iran sanctions monitoring committee' to take punitive measures against non-compliance with the UNSC.  "We think it would be a very useful addition to the work of the Security Council in evaluating the implementation of sanctions," said US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, Brian Hook, on Tuesday.
Hook said the monitoring committee would help determine whether the sanctions are 'strong enough' or whether they are being 'fully implemented.'  Under US pressure, the UN Security Council has passed three rounds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear activities. Washington and its western allies, however, have failed to fully implement economic sanctions against Iran.  "So long as Russia, China and India do not join the nations imposing sanctions on Iran, it will have allies to do business with," Barak added.  The Israeli minister held Russia, China and India responsible for Iran's motivation to continue its enrichment activities.  Israel and the West have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program, calling on the country to halt its uranium enrichment process. Tehran defends its nuclear program as part of a peaceful energy venture. Being a member of the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Iran reserves the right to continue nuclear enrichment activities. Washington and Tel Aviv, however, accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, threatening to launch a military strike on the country, should it not halt the enrichment program. Reportedly equipped with nearly 200-300 nuclear warheads, Israel is believed to be building 7-8 nuclear bombs per year, jeopardizing the lives of innocent people in the Middle East. AO/JG/MMN
Original source at PressTV