(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY ALYSSA CARTEE AND ZACH TOOMBS

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

Iran’s Foreign Ministry is calling tightened U.S. sanctions “antagonistic” and “psychological warfare.” The sanctions target Iran’s Central Bank and give U.S. banks powers to freeze Iranian government assets. The Media Line reports the sanctions are already impacting the country — but not in the way the United States intended.

“For ordinary Iranians, the pain they have wrought by sanctions is already palpable in the form of spiraling inflation and shortages. But Iran’s leaders, and not a few outside observers, say that if Western leaders are counting on consumer distress to pressure the government to abandon its nuclear ambitions they will be disappointed.”

The sanctions are intended to deter the nation’s nuclear program, but analysts on cable news programs were pessimistic about the potential impact.

“The reality is at this point is that the Iranian regime has made the decision that there’s only downside for suspending their nuclear program and there’s only upside in getting it.”

“The problem comes in the end when there’s nothing left to sanction and the Iranians are still moving forward with this nuclear program. Then it becomes an enormous question for the Obama administration.”

“We’ve long known sanctions have a limited chance of convincing Iran to stop its nuclear program. The Israelis are increasingly worried that Iran is getting to a point of no return.”

A columnist for the New York Daily News points out while an attack on Israel seems to be the main worry, there is a bigger concern.

“A nuclear Iran would probably mean a nuclear Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as well. An increasingly unstable Middle East would become even more so. There’s no sleep here for anyone.”

On Monday, members of Iran’s parliament readied plans to fight back against many western nations with sanctions of their own. The Tehran Times has the text of the proposal:

“The government will be allowed to stop selling oil to the countries that initiated sanctions on Iran and the countries that are insisting on the implementation of oil sanctions on Iran.”  

The Iranian government refused to cooperate with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency last month. Although the agency will send more inspectors into the nation this month, The New York Times reports Iran is again unlikely to provide full access for the agency.