Iran's Achilles Heal: The Campaign against Iranian Refined Petroleum  

President Obama's recent call for a "world without nuclear weapons" represents a daunting challenge in an era of increased nuclear proliferation. No more so than in the Middle East, where Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons is stirring similar ambitions throughout the region.

The United States has maintained sanctions of one sort or another against Iran since 1987. Originally enacted in response to Tehran's sponsorship of terrorism, these sanctions prohibit U.S. citizens, companies, and foreign branches from conducting business with Iran. But has this strategy yielded the desired effect of deterring the Islamic Republic from pursuing nuclear weapons, sponsoring terrorism, and other illicit objectives? But can the United States successfully curb Iran's nuclear ambitions? To do so, the U.S. Government must be willing to peacefully exploit Iran's Achilles heel: its heavy dependence on gasoline imports.

Despite its prominence as a major oil exporter, Iran has significant energy vulnerabilities. Due to limited refining capabilities, Iran depends on gasoline imports for 40% of its domestic consumption, and is in fact, the second-largest importer of gasoline in the world, behind only the United States. Who are Iran's gasoline importers and does preventing them from importing gasoline into Iran change the cost-benefit analysis?

This training course is intended to serve as a guide to understand the U.S. Government's financial campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the possibility of carrying out a successful refined petroleum campaign and the geopolitical importance of doing so. The course also reviews who is importing gasoline into Iran.

Who Should Attend
Military Personnel
Law Enforcement
Intelligence Analysts
Customs and Border Patrol
Financial Institutions
College Students
Non-profits

Prerequisites
None

Duration
1 hour

Schedule
1. Introduction to Iran
2. Arresting Nuclear Development
3. The Mission
4. AQF in Lebanon
5. AQF in Iraq
6. AQF in the Palestinian Territories
7. US Sanctions