Iran Moving Assets as U.N. Sanctions Loom

Iran is moving its foreign assets to an undisclosed destination, apparently to shield them from any U.N. sanctions over its nuclear programme, the central bank governor was quoted as saying on Friday.

Iran, threatened with referral to the Security Council for possible punitive measures, has bitter memories of its U.S. assets being frozen shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

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There was no immediate confirmation of the Iranian action, but Sheibani's remarks indicated how seriously the Islamic republic is taking the threat of U.N. sanctions.

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The United States and the European Union want the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to refer Iran to the Security Council when the U.N. nuclear watchdog's governing board holds an emergency meeting on Feb. 2.

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The EU trio scrapped the talks last week after Iran removed IAEA seals on uranium enrichment equipment and resumed a suspended nuclear research programme. U.S. and EU officials say there can be no more talks unless Tehran reverses these steps

Ahmadinejad is playing a dangerous shell game. We'll talk. We won't talk. Removing seals. Moving assets.

It's awfully reminiscent of the game Saddam Hussein played with the U.N. for years with weapons of mass destruction.

Only this time we're not dealing with a brutal Iraqi dictator. We're dealing with an Iranian president who believes he's been called by God to hasten the end of the world.

A dangerous shell game indeed.

Ahmadinejad
Iran
Nuclear Power
America
U.N.