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    October 13, 2011

US Eyeing New Sanctions Against Iran

   VOA News

   The United States is promising to increase pressure on Iran following
   an alleged foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to
   Washington.
   In prepared testimony Thursday, Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen
   said the U.S. will continue to develop what he called "new and
   innovative ways" to crack down on Iran and its central bank, including
   with possible new sanctions. In his statement to the Senate banking
   committee, he said such moves would "impose additional costs" on Iran
   and give the U.S. more leverage in dealing with Tehran.
   The U.S. Justice Department Tuesday charged Manssor Arbabsiar, a
   naturalized U.S. citizen with an Iranian passport, and Gholam Shakuri,
   an Iran-based member of the Iranian Quds force, with conspiring to kill
   Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.
   The U.S. Treasury Department has already announced economic sanctions
   against Arbabsiar and Shakuri, as well as three officers of Iran's
   Revolutionary Guard.
   The United States has previously imposed sanctions on Tehran for its
   nuclear enrichment activities and refusal to cooperate with the United
   Nations' nuclear watchdog agency.
   Cohen says those sanctions are already paying off.
   Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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