If iran's enemies are foolish enough to invade, "they will receive a strong slap," growled the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to a semi-official local news agency. He did not need to name the enemies in question. Relations between Iran and America, always bad, are now even worse than usual. On October 25th America announced fresh sanctions against the Iranian regime. From now on, no American may engage in financial transactions with the Revolutionary Guards or any of their many associated businesses, nor with the al-Quds force (an elite arm of the Revolutionary Guards), nor with three state-owned Iranian banks: Bank Melli, Bank Mellat and Bank Saderat. All these organisations are involved either in weapons proliferation or terrorism, said Condoleezza Rice, America's secretary of state. All their assets under American jurisdiction will be frozen, if they can be found.
展开▼
