Iran Feature: Top Tehran Analyst Zibakalam "Sanctions Have Worked"

These remarks from Professor Sadegh Zibakalam, one of Iran's top analysts of international affairs are striking, especially when set against President Ahmadinejad's all-is-well assurances. They were featured in Aftab News last week:

We should not wonder why the Koreans have joined the group of countries sanctioning us....South Korea exports $40 billion worth of car parts to the United States. Should Korea not give into American pressure, it could lose the American market....

I believe the next countries to sanction Iran will be China and Turkey....Turkey exports $15 billion to the 25 countries of the European Union each year. Should the EU give Turkey trouble and should Turkey be forced to choose between Iran and the EU, it is only natural that the Turks will choose them, just like...when Japan and South Korea chose to do so.

It would be most unpleasant if the Americans make trouble for the Chinese....China has for some time decreased its investments in and oil purchases from Iran. There was a time when we were the second-largest oil exporter to China in the Persian Gulf region, but today we come in eighth. Our oil exports to China have decreased to 200,000 barrels per day from 800,000 barrels per day.

The claim that the sanctions have not worked and have forced us to blossom is all entertainment and propaganda. Sanctions have worked and many parts we need can't enter the Iranian market....There are those who say that sanctions have not affected our economy in a negative way, and the sanctions....have made us struggle harder. This viewpoint is not based upon reality.

The sanctions will not lead to stopping of enrichment, but it will increase the price of enrichment and advancing nuclear activities for us. One could have paid a lesser price for that....The foreign policy of the [Ahmadinejad] cabinet has systematically moved in the direction of conflict and tension between us and the West. Unfortunately we have acted in such a way that, rather than reducing tensions with the West we have increased them.

The question is: could our foreign policy could be implemented in such a way so as to not increase the dimensions of tension and enmity between us and the West? I have no doubt that in our foreign policy, without surrendering to the US and the West, we could have acted with much more experience and skill.