By DPA
Washington : US Vice President Dick Cheney has warned foreign companies that continued business with Iran could disrupt their ties to the US following new sanctions to punish Iran for its nuclear activities and suspected backing of terrorism.
“From our perspective it’s very important that if you’re going to do business with Iran, you’re going to have problems doing business in the United States,” Cheney said Friday in a television interview on CNBC.
The US enacted new sanctions on Iran Thursday, the stiffest since the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran. The sanctions targeted three of Iran’s largest state-owned banks and parts of its military.
The vice president appeared to go further than US officials who told reporters Thursday that penalties were not planned against foreign firms that kept up business with Iran, but that the sanctions were aimed at discouraging companies from continued ties.
The US accused three banks – Bank Melli, Bank Mellat and Bank Saderat – of funnelling money to terrorism and supporting Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme.
The unilateral US sanctions run parallel to US effort to persuade the UN Security Council to sign off on international sanctions, but Washington has faced resistance from Russia and China, two countries who twice approved limited measures.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke out against additional sanctions during a trip to Portugal, equating the move to a “madman who runs around swaying with a razor”.
The White House rejected Putin’s assertion.
“I reject the notion that it is irresponsible, because I think it is quite responsible and shows that we are more than serious,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said, adding “we also are committed to the diplomatic path and that we are going to buttress that with sanctions”.
The US sanctions introduced Thursday also targeted the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its elite al-Quds unit.
President George W. Bush has not ruled out the possible use of military force because of Iran’s refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a step that could lead to nuclear weapons. The White House said Friday the sanctions were not a prelude to an armed conflict.
“We would never take options off the table, but the diplomatic process is what we want to move forward with,” spokesman Tony Fratto said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged there are differences between the US and Russia about the timing and severity of sanctions on Iran but that Washington remained committed to working with Moscow.
Rice said the US was sending a message to Iran’s political leaders through the sanctions so they understand “that the path that Iran is on is destructive”.