Dilip Hiro, over at the Asia Times, has an excellent article that explicates the emerging security, energy, and economic ties among China, Russia and Iran – and lays bare the futility of the Obama administration’s “carrots and sticks” posture toward the Islamic Republic.
Hiro really “gets” the international and historical dynamics at play.
For example, on the (im)possibility of imposing gasoline sanctions:
Foremost among these [proposed sanctions] would be a ban on the export of gasoline to Iran, whose oil refining capacity falls significantly short of domestic demand. Chinese oil corporations have already started shipping gasoline to Iran to fill the gap caused by a stoppage of supplies from British and Indian companies anticipating Washington’s possible move. Between June and August 2009, China signed $8 billion worth of contracts with Iran to help expand two existing Iranian oil refineries to produce more gasoline domestically and to help develop the gigantic South Pars natural gas field. Iran’s national oil corporation has also invited its Chinese counterparts to participate in a $42.8 billion project to construct seven oil refineries and a 1,600 kilometer trans-Iran pipeline that will facilitate pumping fuel to China.
The entire article is well worth a read and can be found here.
– Ben Katcher
