The United States should continue to pressure Iran
to put an end to its nuclear program by imposing tougher sanctions,
including an embargo on petroleum oil, if necessary.
While Iran is one of the world’s leading oil
producers and sanctions which would lead to Americans losing oil
supplies from Iran, the United States needs to take a strong stand
against nuclear production in Iran, as well as other countries such as
North Korea. Despite the potential problems from losing Iran’s oil, the
very real implications and possible devastation resulting from an
Iranian nuclear program far outweigh the financial effects due to the
lack of Iran’s oil.
While losing that oil supply poses financial problems and possible higher gas prices for Americans, those could be offset by using oil from other counties and reserves. The United States could dip into its own reserves in a time of crisis if the Iranian sanctions and possible embargo were to lead to such a crisis. Even if the United States could not make up for the missing supply by using domestic oil, it could still import oil from other foreign countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, to offset the amounts it would no longer purchase from Iran.
The fact that the European Union is taking a similar stance on sanctioning Iran for its nuclear actions further supports the need for the United States to impose higher sanctions, and an embargo if Iran continues to work on nuclear projects after the United States imposes the sanctions. After the devastation and destruction suffered in Japan after the nuclear power plant incident in 2011, nuclear consequences are readily known to the world. Japan is still recovering from that event, and it was an event merely from a power plant, not nuclear weapons which Iran may be developing. The simple possibility that they could be developing nuclear weapons, or nuclear projects having the same amount of nuclear energy, rightfully does put the United States and Europe on guard. That type and amount of nuclear power could be devastating to the entire planet, and it is simply not worth the risk to let Iran continue such a project. Sanctions and an embargo should be used before launching any kind of attack on Iran because it is much safer, and it allows for more times to possibly have talks with Iran. The main concern with continuing to impose higher sanctions and an embargo would be the possibility that it would actually help Iran financially by causing their oil prices to increase with countries eventually purchasing oil from them. Nonetheless, the United States and European Union should continue to impose sanctions because at this point it is the safest and least costly route. It would be reckless to launch an attack that may lead to the exact type of devastation the United States wants to prevent Iran’s nuclear program from causing.
We have no reason to put sanctions on Iran or go to war with them. Iran has committed no act of aggression toward this nation, which has been in the past the deciding factor on whether we go to war. It should not be the policy of this nation to impose our will on other foreign nations, whether it be through sanctions or the taking up of arms. Many a war has been started by one country forcing their will upon another people. An obvious example is the American Revolution. Instead of treating us like the rest of their citizens Britain decided to abuse as they saw fit, and we rightfully rebelled. Had England treated us the way it treat the rest of its citizens there would have been no need for bloodshed. If anyone is going to the spark a war it will be the U.S., not Iran.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Cold War there were times when the USSR had more nuclear firepower than we did, and could have easily wiped us of the face of the earth. Yet while tensions ran high between us we were able to avoid war with Russia which would have been mutually assured destruction. We have no reason to fear Iran even if they one, two, ten nuclear warheads. We have tens of thousands, enough to wipe them off the map seven fold. If anything they should be in fear of us, and if so I cannot blame them for trying to building up a nuclear arsenal.
Putting sanctions on Iran will not prevent war, it will only drive us closer to a conflict that will result bloodshed. What if we, the United States were to extend a hand of friendship to Iran and trade with them like we do so many other nations? Congressman Ron Paul once stated, “Opening ourselves up to friendship, honest trade and diplomacy is the foreign policy of peace and prosperity. “