International sanctions against Iran

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There have been a number of international sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world until it was surpassed by Russia, following Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.[1]

The first sanctions were imposed by the United States in November 1979,[2] after a group of radical students seized the American Embassy in Tehran and took hostages. These sanctions were lifted in January 1981 after the hostages were released, but they were reimposed by the United States in 1987 in response to Iran's actions from 1981 to 1987 against the U.S. and vessels of other countries in the Persian Gulf and US claims of Iranian support for terrorism.[3] The sanctions were expanded in 1995 to include firms dealing with the Iranian government.[4]

The third sanctions were imposed in December 2006 pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 after Iran refused to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1696, which demanded that Iran halt its uranium enrichment program. Initially, U.S. sanctions targeted investments in oil, gas, and petrochemicals, exports of refined petroleum products, and business dealings with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It encompassed banking and insurance transactions (including with the Central Bank of Iran), shipping, web-hosting services for commercial endeavors, and domain name registration services.[5] Subsequent UN Resolutions have expanded sanctions against Iran.

Over the years, sanctions have taken a serious toll on Iran's economy and people. Since 1979, the United States has led international efforts to use sanctions to influence Iran's policies,[6] including Iran's uranium enrichment program, which Western governments fear is intended for developing the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Iran counters that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, including generating electricity and medical purposes.[7]

When nuclear talks between Iran and Western governments were stalled and seen as a failure, U.S. senators cited them as a reason to enforce stronger economic sanctions on Iran.[8] On 2 April 2015, the P5+1 and Iran, meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, reached a provisional agreement on a framework that, once finalized and implemented, would lift most of the sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran's nuclear programs extending for at least ten years.[9][10][11][12] The final agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was adopted on 18 October 2015.[13] As a result, UN sanctions were lifted on 16 January 2016.[14] On 8 May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. Sanctions by the United States were reinstated in November 2018, and expanded in 2019 and 2020 to cover Iran's financial sector. Temporary waivers were granted to some countries to continue importing reduced amounts of oil from Iran until 2019.

On 21 February 2020, Iran was placed on the FATF blacklist.[15]

The UN arms embargo on Iran expired on 18 October 2020, as agreed in Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, allowing Iran to import foreign military equipment.

  1. ^ "Russia is Now the World's Most-Sanctioned Nation". Bloomberg.com. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  2. ^ Haidar, J.I., 2017."Sanctions and Exports Deflection: Evidence from Iran Archived 28 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine," Economic Policy (Oxford University Press), April 2017, Vol. 32(90), pp. 319-355.
  3. ^ Levs, Josh (23 January 2012). "A summary of sanctions against Iran". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  4. ^ Zirulnick, Ariel (24 February 2011). "Sanction Qaddafi? How 5 nations have reacted to sanctions: Iran". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  5. ^ "31 CFR 560.540 – Exportation of certain services and software incident to Internet-based communications". Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School. United States Statutes at Large. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  6. ^ Younis, Mohamed (7 February 2013). "Iranians Feel Bite of Sanctions, Blame U.S., Not Own Leaders". Gallup World. Gallup. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  7. ^ Nichols, Michelle & Charbonneau, Louis (5 October 2012). "U.N. chief says sanctions on Iran affecting its people". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  8. ^ Lakshmanan, Indira A.R. (9 April 2013). "U.S. Senators Seeking Tougher Economic Sanctions on Iran". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Iranian nuclear deal: Mixed reaction greets tentative agreement". CBC. 3 April 2015. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  10. ^ Charbonneau, Louis & Nebehay, Stephanie (2 April 2015). "Iran, world powers reach initial deal on reining in Tehran's nuclear program". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Iran nuclear talks: 'Framework' deal agreed". BBC News. 3 April 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  12. ^ Labott, Elise; Castillo, Mariano; Shoichet, Catherine E. (2 April 2015). "Iran nuclear deal framework announced". CNN. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  13. ^ "EU officially announces October 18 adoption day of JCPOA". Islamic Republic News Agency. 18 October 2015. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  14. ^ "UN chief welcomes implementation day under JCPOA". Islamic Republic News Agency. 17 January 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Iran blacklisted by 200 member nations of Financial Action Task Force". The Jerusalem Post. 22 February 2020. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.