Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell: Sanctions against Iran ineffective

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell says sanctions against Iran will be to no avail as Tehran is “determined to have a nuclear program” not a “nuclear weapon.”

"I don't see a set of sanctions coming along that would be so detrimental to the Iranians that they are going to stop that program,” Powell said in an interview with Bloomberg TV broadcast today.

The retired Army general reiterated that the West's standoff with Iran over its nuclear program should be resolved through diplomatic means and negotiations. “So ultimately, the solution has to be a negotiated one.”

“Notice I did not say a nuclear weapon. But they are determined to have a nuclear program, notwithstanding the last six or seven years of efforts on our part to keep them from having a nuclear program.”

Powell's remarks come amid desperate efforts by the US and some of its allies to rally support for a new round of UN sanctions against Iran in order to force Tehran to meet their demands.

Citing "concerns" over Iran's domestic capabilities to enrich uranium, Washington and a number of European states accuse Iran of the "intention" to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels and have gone to great lengths to prevent the country from producing fuel for its medical and industrial needs.

Iran has repeatedly rejected any desire for nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is for the generation of electricity and other civil uses, such as medical isotopes, and has opened its facilities for intrusive inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in accordance with the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Despite arm-twisting by the US, veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, China, has voiced reluctance to back a fourth round of sanctions against Iran. Beijing maintains that the best way to resolve the standoff is through negotiations.


/Press TV/