The new sanctions on Iran recently announced include eight individuals, six ships, five banks and 15 other entities. U.S. Treasury officials claim that companies based in Turkey, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates have served as front companies to help Iranian Mahan Air to purchase airplane engines and other parts.

Because of their limited scope, the new sanctions will be ineffectual and only damage prospects for peace with that nation.

According to the Geneva "interim" agreement reached last November between Iran and the so-called P5-plus-1 group (United States, Britain, France, China, Germany and Russia), Tehran would freeze its nuclear program in exchange for modest relief of sanctions, thus opening the way to further talks aimed at resolving once and for all this difficult issue.