Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ppraises EU Sanctions in Iran

The recent ramping up of sanctions against Iran, levied by the European Union, drew praise and attack from both sides.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the union's actions, while adding that the stern measures were having a significant impact to the Iranian economy, The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday via Reuters.

As NBC News reports, the Monday sanctions mark the E.U.'s toughest stance against Iran to date. In addition to the current bans on oil and gas and restrictions on the central bank, all transactions between European and Iranian banks are now prohibited, unless they are explicitly authorized by national authorities. Natural gas imports will also be banned, along with several other related restrictions.

The sanctions are geared towards halting Iran's suspected nuclear program, an issue that has caused alarm throughout the Mideast.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told Reuters Monday that she hoped the new sanctions would persuade Iran to make concessions regarding their alleged nuclear program and that negotiations could resume "very soon".

"I absolutely do think there is room for negotiations," said Ashton, who represents the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany in their negotiations with Iran. "I hope we will be able to make progress very soon."

On Tuesday, Netanyahu praised the sanctions.

"I want to commend the EU for the tough sanctions that were adopted yesterday against the greatest threat to peace in our time," Netanyahu told EU diplomats in his Tuesday address.

"These sanctions are hitting the Iranian economy hard," he added. "We'll know they are achieving their goal when the centrifuges stop spinning and when the Iranian nuclear program is rolled back."

Speculation has grown regarding how close Iran really is in making a breakthrough in its uranium enrichment process. While other nations fear that the process would allow Iran to create their own nuclear weapons, Iran has previously denied that charge, claiming that its pursuit of nuclear capability is only for peaceful purposes.

 Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quick to denounce the sanctions Tuesday as "illegal, unwise and inhuman," the Associated Press reported Tuesday, and vowed that they would not scale back on their nuclear efforts.

"They cannot force the Iranian nation to surrender and withdraw," Mehmanparast told reporters. "This sort of acts will encourage the Iranian nation to continue on its way, strongly."

Speaking on the sanctions, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron urged Israel Monday not to order a military strike against Iran, the BBC reported, with Cameron asking them to allow the sanctions to take effect over time.

"I have said to Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu that now is not the time for Israel to resort to military action," Cameron said during a speech at a U.K. Jewish charity Monday, adding that a military strike would only serve as a rallying cry for Tehran's regime to unite their nation against a foreign enemy.

"We shouldn't give them that chance. We need the courage to give these sanctions time to work," Cameron said.