Following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian analyst Dr. Majid Abbasi, which aired on Jaam-e Jam 2 TV on December 19, 2006.

Dr. Majid Abbasi: Experience has shown that sanctions cannot work. I would like to say that such sanctions have been imposed upon Iran for a long time, but they have not been successful. Moreover, these sanctions have been proven to be unsuccessful in the case of North Korea. North Korea also faced severe sanctions, but it obtained nuclear weapons. Now, under the great pressure of these sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which talks about nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, may find itself under so much pressure that it will move towards nuclear energy for non-peaceful purposes.