| How To Go To Heaven: www.jesus-is-savior.com www.cnn.com Sanctions take toll on ordinary Iranians By Shirzad Bozorgmehr and Moni Basu, CNN updated 7:56 PM EST, Mon January 23, 2012 Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Many in the West would like to see Iran punished for its nuclear ambitions. Tehran's residents would like those people to take a glimpse into their lives. The European Union announced Monday it is banning the import of Iranian crude oil and blocking trade in gold, diamonds, and precious metals, among other steps, adding to sanctions already imposed by the United States and the United Nations. The measures take a big toll on Iran's lifeblood oil revenues. The lives of ordinary Iranians have been deeply touched in recent weeks by the Western sanctions. Several spoke to CNN about how they are coping with staggering inflation and a plunging national currency, although none felt comfortable being fully identified, fearful of the Islamic Republic's long reach into private lives. Farhad, 47, was once comfortable, but things began sliding downhill when sanctions came and the foreign oil firm that employed him packed up and left. As a taxi driver, he works hard but saves little money. With the latest round of US sanctions imposed on Iran's Central Bank last month, he has seen staggering inflation; the price of meat and milk have skyrocketed by as much as 50 percent. LINK FOR REST thinkprogress.org Sen. Mark Kirk: 'It's Okay To Take Food From The Mouths Of' Innocent Iranians By Ali ... |
