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　A high-ranking U.S. official said Thursday (local time) that companies that do not properly execute sanctions against Iran would suffer in their economic relationship with the United States.
　In regards to South Korea’s serious considerations regarding the economic impact of Iran sanctions, the official said, “The United States has discussed these sanctions with South Korea for several months, and the sanctions are the same for South Korean, Japanese and Chinese firms investing in Iran.”
　This could be viewed as strongly pressing South Korea to participate in the sanctions.
　In speaking about escape clauses, he said that the U.S. law placing sanctions on Iran includes flexibility that acknowledges important exceptions for countries that cooperate with sanctions on Iran. He said, however, that in order to acknowledge exceptions for particular companies engaged in commercial deals with Iran, the company’s national government must demonstrate full cooperation with executing sanctions against Iran.
　In addition, the official also said the sanctions on Iran are made up of three things: UN Security Council resolution 1929 that slaps sanctions on Iran, domestic measures taken by each nation, and independent U.S. measures. He said companies investing in Iran could potentially be shown to be complicit in crime, demonstrating the hardline U.S. attitude toward the sanctions. Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department’s special advisor for nonproliferation and arms control, made visits earlier this month to South Korea and Japan, the purpose of which was reportedly to explain these exceptions and to ask for active participation from Seoul and Tokyo in the sanctions against Iran.
　Meanwhile, meeting with reporters Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama said there was no change in the U.S. position that if the Iranian government clearly takes the necessary measures, Washington could talk with Iran about nuclear development and international sanctions. The Washington Post reported that Obama has left open the possibility that Iran could have a non-military nuclear development program, which would also include trust-building measures that prove it is not developing nuclear weapons.
　Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]