‘Tehran NAM summit shows abject failure of U.S. policy to isolate Iran’

TEHRAN,Aug.29(MNA) – A Los Angeles Times op-ed published on Tuesday states that the sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States meant to isolate the country are not only counterproductive but also deprives the U.S. private sector of a lucrative market. Following are excerpts of the text of the article entitled ‘Isolating Iran?’ written by Najmedin Meshkati and Guive Mirfendereski: The 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran this week will draw dignitaries and representatives from more than 100 countries — 35 heads of state, including Mohamed Morsi, the current chair of the movement and the first democratically elected president of Egypt, as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. For the next three years, Iran will serve as the chair of the movement, which was formed in 1961 to counterbalance the superpowers. In early August, Iran hosted a high-level meeting that included Russia on the crisis in Syria. All this points to the abject failure of the U.S. policy in the last 30 years to “isolate” Iran. Policies of restriction or containment through sanctions and economic mechanisms do not work. In a porous world, sanctions are largely ineffective.