COMMENTARY | For months, tensions between Iran and the West have been growing by the day. With Iran’s secretive nuclear program, threats over presence in the Persian Gulf, and continuing sanctions implemented on Iranian exports and its central bank, it was a matter of time before Iran took another step to increase these tensions.
Sunday, the Associated Press reported Iran’s Oil Ministry confirmed it had halted oil shipments to Britain and France. This comes on the heels of sanctions imposed by the European Union to freeze Iran’s central bank’s assets and included an oil embargo beginning in July.
Oil Ministry spokesman Ali Reza Nikzad-Rahbar said on the ministry’s shana.ir website, “We have our own customers and have no problem to sell and export our crude oil to new customers.”
The sanctions imposed by the EU were in alignment with Western countries to try to gain some leverage on the Iranian nuclear program. While Iran denies its intentions with nuclear energy, the West is skeptical it is working to build atomic weapons. Increased weaponry of this magnitude presents a serious threat to the West and threatens the safety of millions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the country’s most powerful military unit, was reported by the Associated Press to have begun a two-day land military drill. This drill will allow it to increase their capabilities against possible external attacks and their preparedness for them. This is an obvious tactic to make the West aware it is going to be ready for any possible military strikes, as the U.S. and Israel haven’t yet ruled them out.
Following bombings in Bangkok, New Delhi and Tbilisi last week, tensions between Israel and Iran flared; Israel blamed Tehran agents for the bombings, while Iran rejected such allegations. According to AFP, Foreign Secretary William Hague, said it would not be “wise” for Israel to proceed with military action, and to rather wait for the diplomatic sanctions to take effect.
Diplomatic means could prove to be useful as Iran said it was ready to resume discussions on its nuclear activity. While with hesitation, this move was welcomed by the U.S. and the EU. Hopefully there is a peaceful resolution to all the tensions that seem to merely increase over time.