Tehran – Sanctions are punitive measures imposed by one or more countries, which puts pressure on target countries to change their policies. Sanctions that include trade bans, assets freezes and financial restrictions are usually framed as “peaceful” alternatives to war. But in reality, they cause serious suffering to ordinary people and often fail to achieve their political goals.
By limiting access to food, medicines and essential products, it sanctions disability economies, deepens poverty and causes preventable deaths. Sanctions are often used not as a genuine security concern, but as a tool in economic warfare to destabilize countries that resist foreign rule.
The United States was the first to impose economic sanctions on Iran following the Iranian revolution and the acquisition of the US embassy by Iranian revolutionary students.
Over the past 46 years since the 1979 revolution, Washington has repeatedly expanded sanctions against Iran under various pretexts. These hostile measures have been justified by changing a series of charges ranging from human rights violations and missile spread to terrorism allegations and more recently to Iran’s nuclear program.
Carter takes the lead by imposing anti-Iranian sanctions
Former US President Jimmy Carter launched what would become a long-standing sanctions policy on the newly formed Islamic Republic, citing the revolutionary student acquisition of the US embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. Initially, his administration sought to gather international support for Iran, but soon tried to represent itself. But over time, some Western countries joined Washington to impose sanctions.
On November 14, 1979, Carter signed Executive Order 12170, marking the beginning of economic pressure on sweeping on Iran. By late December, the US had pushed for multilateral sanctions at the UN Security Council, but the Soviet Union blocked the move. Undenied Washington pushed for unilateral sanctions, urging its allies to follow suit.
Sanctions initially targeted military and oil trade, but quickly escalated to a freeze in Iranian assets. The US seized billions of dollars belonging to Iran, including bank deposits, gold and other holdings. Executive Order 12,170 alone locked up about $8.1 billion in Iranian funds and imposed a complete trade embargo. On November 12, 1979, the US halted oil imports from Iran, and two days later, the Bureau of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) frozen about $8 billion in Iranian assets.
The embassy acquisition put Carter under tremendous political tensions. In a desperate move, he approved Operation Eagle Claw on April 25, 1980. This is a failure of the military mission to retrieve prisoners of war. The operation ended with a disaster when a sandstorm in the Tabas Desert in Iran landed US troops and eight commanders were killed. As the standoffs continued, Carter cut diplomatic ties with Iran on April 7, 1980.
An Iranian student holding the embassy demanded the extradition of the exiled Shah of Mohammad Reza Pallavi, whose regime fell upon by the revolution. They pointed out that workers at the embassy were spying and branding “spy nests” in the embassy. The prisoners remained in custody for 444 days. In addition to the economic troubles that surged inflation, the saga with Iran contributed to the 1980 election defeat.
The prisoner was finally released on January 20, 1981. That day, Ronald Reagan was appointed. Although the first sanctions were lifted as part of the Algiers Agreement, US pressure on Iran never truly stopped, setting the stage for decades of continuous tensions and pursuit of Washington’s economic terrorism.
Carter’s successor continues to sanction Iran under a new pretext
The sanctions launched by Carter were just the beginning. Over the years, his successor issued eight additional executive orders against Iran, repeatedly renewing the national emergency over the country. Each administration has expanded the scope of sanctions and blacklisted more Iranian entities and individuals. These measures were intended to force Iran to comply with US demands, but over time, Iran adapted to pressure and reduced the effectiveness of sanctions.
Initially, US sanctions targeted trade and financial transactions, but gradually expanded to measure harmful to ordinary Iranians than the government, including restrictions on medical, food, technology and scientific development. However, Iran’s resilience and ability to avoid sanctions through domestic production and alternative trade networks have irritated Washington’s purpose and mitigate its impact.
Currently, the US administration announces sanctions on Iran-related entities and individuals almost weekly despite being engaged in indirect consultations with Iran through Omani mediation. The indirect consultations focus on ending US sanctions and accepting curbs against Iran’s nuclear activities.