US sanctions on Iran and their impact

The USA should realize sanctions alone won’t work

Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, The USA and Iran have had hostile relations, including diplomatic.  This was due to Iran’s actions, which included the hostage crisis, proxy wars, and support for non-State actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Since then, there have been unfriendly ties between the two countries because of Washington’s action, including Saddam Hussein’s support for an attack on Iran. However, once the orthodox Iranian revolutionaries were defeated in the 1990s, the Islamic administration developed ties with several European nations, as well as China and India, and the former USSR. They discussed the oil and gas arrangements. However, the USA’s and Iran’s ties remained tense and antagonistic; US oil companies were barred from lucrative petro-deals, and the Bush administration designated Iran as part of the “Axis of Evil.”

Furthermore, the nuclear programme of Iran also affected the relationship of both states. Iran claimed that Iran’s nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes and also according to the IAEA states can keep nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes but due to the interests of the USA, it has imposed sanctions on Iran which affected the Iranian economy, and as a result of the sanctions Iran was unable to establish its hegemony in the region.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal or Iran Deal, is a nuclear programme agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—plus Germany) together with the European Union that was reached in Vienna on July 14, 2015. JCPOA deal required the balance (weakening) of Half of Iran’s 20% enhancement of uranium and the suspension of improvement surpassing 5%. There will be no greater advancement of improvement plants or heavy water reactors in Arak. No new improvement destinations; no going back over or advancement of going back over Offices; no new taxes; and the quantity of existing rotators has decreased by 66%. The IAEA Can examine offices announced as undeclared. It can utilze Iran’s atomic production network and all uranium mines and manufacturing plants.

These hostile relations became much more serious during the Trump Administration. In 2018, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA), and that relations have deteriorated and that Iran’s economy is suffering because of severe economic sanctions. Trump tweeted in July 2019 that Iran had erred by shooting down a US military surveillance drone that had entered Its airspace on 20 June 2019.

Furthermore, Trump claims that the agreement was one-sided and that the deal was never made. Trump also made a statement in 2018-2019 to increase sanctions against Iran. The USA has used Unilateral sanctions to weaken Iran due to its nuclear weapons. Sanctions against Iran influenced the entire Middle East, and heightened tensions. Trump’s goal was to Halt Iran’s nuclear programme and to stop it supporting Shia against Sunnis across the region.

Iran has a reputation for being both overconfident and insecure, and it has long sought to defend itself from potential foreign interventions and meddling. It is more defensive than offensive to oppose Iran obtaining nuclear weapons because it would pose a challenge to Israel, a long-established hegemonic force in the region. The best course of action for the USA and its allies would be to continue the talks and maintain contact with Iran so that the West could get used to the concept of an Iranian nuclear state and come to an understanding with it. The sanctions should be eased, though, as they generally upset locals but pose little threat to Iran’s programme, which is growing more successfully.

US sanctions initially targeted investments in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries as well as transactions with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and exports of refined petroleum products. It covered banking and insurance activities, domain name registration, web hosting for corporate endeavours, and shipping (including with the Central Bank of Iran). Subsequent UN resolutions have increased sanctions against Iran.

Iran’s economy is crumbling after years of US sanctions and Tehran insists Washington must suspend those restrictions before the two sides can return to nuclear talks. Due to the sanctions Iran’s economy contracted an estimated 4.9percent% in 2020, steadily shrinking since 2017. According to estimates, Iran’s economy dropped by 4.99 percent in 2020, extending a negative trend that started in 2017. The Islamic Republic’s economy expanded quickly in 2016, by 12.5 percent, after the nuclear accord was signed. But the reprieve only lasted for a short while.

The Biden Administration argued and demonstrated its willingness to re-join JCPOA in order to remove mistrust and normalize relations between the USA and Iran. so that Iran won’t approach other powerful nations and pose a danger to the USA. Biden consistently promised during the campaign to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal that President Obama signed in 2015 and President Trump abandoned in 2018. In a September 2020 op-ed, Biden stated, “If Iran returns to strict compliance with the nuclear deal, the United States would rejoin the accord as a starting point for follow-on negotiations.” We will endeavour to enhance and expand the parameters of the nuclear deal with our partners, while simultaneously taking care of other pressing matters.

From all of these factors, it can be inferred that mistrust and conflicting interests strained the relationships between the two states, and that both states utilised their resources to oppose one another in order to protect their respective national interests. However, In the Middle East, both powers were competing for hegemony under the influence of “offensive realism.” Iran appears to succeed in this endeavour, though, as it pursues nuclear power.

Iran has a reputation for being both overconfident and insecure, and it has long sought to defend itself from potential foreign interventions and meddling. It is more defensive than offensive to oppose Iran obtaining nuclear weapons because it would pose a challenge to Israel, a long-established hegemonic force in the region. The best course of action for the USA and its allies would be to continue the talks and maintain contact with Iran so that the West could get used to the concept of an Iranian nuclear state and come to an understanding with it. The sanctions should be eased, though, as they generally upset locals but pose little threat to Iran’s programme, which is growing more successfully.

Sughra Jan Muhammad
Sughra Jan Muhammad
The Author, did her graduation from University of Balochistan, Quetta, in department of International Relations

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