The world's 'meaningless' sanctions against Iran

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the U.N.'s much-vaunted sanctions program is a joke. Is he lying?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
(Image credit: Getty)

As tensions rise over his country's nuclear program, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — who on Sunday arrived in New York for the U.N. General Assembly — says that Iran is complying with international inspections and would be open to concessions, but that sanctions against his country are "meaningless." Given Iran's progress toward refining weapons-grade nuclear fuel and building a nuclear energy plant, is he right? (Watch a Newsweek briefing on the issue)

Ahmadinejad is bluffing — the sanctions hurt: The U.S.-led sanctions campaign "is biting," says Juan C. Zarate at National Review, and it is definitely "hurting the regime" by scaring legitimate banks, shipping companies, and other businesses into abandoning Iran. But the U.S. needs to bolster the effort by aggressively going after the mullahs' assets all over the world, and making it clear that we'll use our military if all other options fail.

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