Iran sanctions as good as 'used tissue'

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Asia Times

"The United Nations Security Council resolution for a fourth round of sanctions on Iran has shattered any pretence of unified support for coercive diplomacy. With President Mahmud Ahmadinejad saying the measures should be "discarded like a used tissue'', the stage is set for a spiral of tension reminiscent of the fiasco that led to the invasion of Iraq....

In the short run, however, given the absence of "crippling sanctions", the incremental heat of the Security Council's resolution will be bearable by Iran, thanks to its ability to withstand sanctions for more than 30 years and a savvy regional diplomacy that has produced close friends and allies in the region and beyond....."