Chinese Sanctioned for Aiding Tehran

The Washington Times reports that:

Several Chinese companies involved in selling missile goods and chemical-arms materials to Iran have been hit with U.S. sanctions, Bush administration officials said yesterday.

The sanctions cover six Chinese government-run companies, two Indian firms and one Austrian company, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

[...]

The sanctions were imposed under the Iran Nonproliferation Act, which Congress passed in 2000 to deter international support for Iran's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and missile-delivery systems.

The penalties, which will last until December 2007, bar the companies from doing business with the U.S. government and prohibit U.S. firms from obtaining export licenses to sell sensitive products to these companies. The details of the transfers to Iran were not disclosed.

They come as the United States and Europe consider whether to seek U.N. Security Council action on Iran's covert nuclear arms programs. Iran has violated International Atomic Energy Agency commitments by denying access to numerous nuclear-related facilities. The U.S. government suspects oil-rich Iran is building nuclear weapons under the cover of producing civilian facilities for generating electrical power.

These latest sanctions show that China is continuing to support the missile and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs of states that support international terrorism.

"We think these transfers helped [Iran's] ballistic missile and WMD programs," a senior official said.

As the drama continues to unfold, we should note that the key players, China and India, both possess nuclear weapons. Diplomatic finesse is required here. The nightmare scenario for the United States would be if both those nuclear superpowers combined forces against her; with Iran being the straw that broke the camel's back. Although this scenario is extreme, it is not necessarily impossible. I think Tom Clancy may have even written about it.

Imagine US Forces engaged in Iraq and Iran because Iran launches a nuclear strike against targets in Israel. As the US commits more troops to the Middle East, India launches against Pakistan. What could we do? Imagine if China decided to take back Taiwan at the same time. Again what would we do? The scenario is absolutely frightening.

Another interesting point to note is how the Washington Times called Iran an "oil rich" nation. Are they trying to prepare ahead of time the argument that future US intervention in Iran would be motivated by its supposed lust for oil? Why didn't they focus on the fact that Iran has sponsored terrorism for quite some time?