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Sanctions May Squeeze Iran ... And Raise Oil Prices

Credit Kamran Jebreili / AP

European countries have agreed to stop importing Iranian oil as of Sunday. This could make it harder for Iran to find markets for its crude. Iran has been filling up tankers off its coast, but analysts say it could run out of storage capacity. This photo shows oil tankers off Iran's coast in January.

Credit Atta Kenare / AFP/Getty Images

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, shown speaking June 2 under a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said Iran will not bow to sanctions.

By Corey Flintoff

The sanctions noose around Iran is set to tighten Sunday as the European Union imposes a total embargo on all purchases of Iranian oil.

The new sanctions are aimed at putting pressure on the Islamic Republic to make concessions on its nuclear program. Iran insists the program is limited to peaceful, civilian purposes, but many Western nations believe Iran has nuclear weapons ambitions.

The move against Iran comes at a time when oil prices have been dropping for the past couple of months.

4:56 pm

Sat June 30, 2012

For Italy's Balotelli, Racism On And Off The Field

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The second biggest soccer tournament in the world — the Euro 2012 — wraps up Sunday in Kiev, Ukraine. One of the marquee names for the Italian side is Mario Balotelli. Born to parents from Ghana, Balotelli is constantly harassed by racist fans and sometimes by players on the field. Weekends on All Things Considered guest host Laura Sullivan speaks with Daniel Taylor of The Guardian about Balotelli's hot temper and how the taunts sometimes take their toll.

Around the Nation

4:44 pm

Sat June 30, 2012

Synthetic 'Bath Salts' An Evolving Problem For DEA

Credit Brian Peterson / Minneapolis Star Tribune

Use of synthetic "bath salts," compounds sold legally but used as a controlled substance, has been on the rise since 2010.

By editor

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 6:22 am

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One night a little more than two years ago, a 24-year-old man was rushed into the emergency room at Tulane University Medical Center in Louisiana. He was extremely agitated and hallucinating.

Dr. Corey Hebert figured the man was on drugs, probably PCP or a stimulant. But a few minutes later, the man became paranoid.

"He started doing some self-mutilating actions [and] was pulling out his eyebrows and eyelashes," Hebert tells weekends on All Things Considered host Laura Sullivan.

4:14 pm

Sat June 30, 2012

'Billy Lynn' A Full-Bore Tale Of Wartime Iraq

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Credit Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images

Ben Fountain sets his new novel in Texas Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 1971 to 2008.

Credit Thorne Anderson /

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is the first novel by Ben Fountain, whose earlier work includes the short story collection Brief Interviews With Che Guevara.

By editor

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 9:19 am

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Billy Lynn is a 19-year-old college dropout living in the small Texas town where he grew up. After he's arrested for trashing the car of his sister's ex, he's given two choices: face jail time or enlist in the Army.

He chooses the Army. And Iraq.

Author Ben Fountain's debut novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, is the story of what happens to Lynn after he joins Bravo Company in the early years of the Iraq war.

4:13 pm

Sat June 30, 2012

Week In News: Rounding Up The Health Care Ruling

By editor

Originally published on Sat June 30, 2012 4:56 pm

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Weekends on All Things Considered guest host Laura Sullivan talks with James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. They discuss the decision of the Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Health Care act, Chief Justice John Roberts' role on the court and what the decision means in this election year.

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5:25 pm

Sat June 30, 2012