“For diplomacy to work, we need to dial up our political and economic pressure – not just our tough talk. Iran’s troubling behavior depends in large part on access to billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue. That is why I introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act last May, to build on a movement across the country to divest from companies that do significant business with Iran. This would send a clear message about where America stands, increasing Iran’s isolation and hitting the Iranian regime where it hurts.
The bill works in three ways. First, it would educate investors and pressure foreign companies to reconsider doing business with Iran by requiring the U.S. government to publish – every six months – a list of companies that invest more than $20 million in Iran’s energy sector. Second, it would give explicit congressional authorization to state and local governments to divest the assets of their pension funds and other funds under their control from any company on the list. Third, it would give private fund managers who divest protection from lawsuits, while urging the government’s own 401(k) fund to create “terror-free” and “genocide-free” investment options for government employees.” No, not John McCain or even Hillary Clinton but Barack Obama. When you combine Obama’s comments with Sarkozy’s recent speech declaring a nuclear Iran the greatest threat the world faces and even David Cameron’s tough but considered words on the subject last night, it appears that there is a new consensus emerging that the time to get serious about stopping Iran’s nuclear programme is fast approaching.
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