Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Iran was the most sanctioned nation in the world. But who do these sanctions truly affect? I’ll give you the SparkNotes. It’s not the billionaires responsible for numerous human rights violations, but it’s the public, especially the poor who truly feel the negative consequences of the sanctions that countries like the United States impose. We need to pay attention to these developments because hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Iran are currently dying from starvation, exposure, and curable illnesses which they are unable to afford medication for. For those who don’t know, sanctions are a form of diplomatic pressure like trade restrictions, financial punishments, travel bans, or arms embargoes imposed on a sovereign state to encourage them to change certain behaviors or policies. In the case of Iran, the United States has been one of the main driving forces behind the sanctions, with the aim of forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear program and stop supporting terrorist organizations in the region. While the United States’ motivations for imposing sanctions on Iran are morally justifiable, they are ineffective and are likely to cause more harm than they prevent.

The sanctions have had a significant impact on all areas of the Iranian economy, including restrictions on Iran’s ability to export oil, as well as difficulties obtaining access to international markets leading to massive inflation, currency devaluation, and a drastic decrease in foreign investment. These sanctions have essentially isolated Iran from the outside world in many respects and the country now suffers from some oddly specific problems. For example, because Iran is isolated from many foreign markets, airlines have difficulty acquiring plane parts, which has led to an increase in plane crashes. Additionally, pharmacies, doctors, and hospitals have difficulty acquiring certain medications, which has led to thousands of tragic civilian deaths. Ironically, it’s the wealthy politicians – the people creating the policies that the United States government disagrees with, the very people whom the sanctions are intended to punish – who remain unaffected by the consequences of the sanctions.

As American citizens, we should lobby against our government to put an end to these sanctions because innocent people are dying left and right at the hands of our government. The people of Iran deserve better and have suffered in silence for far too long – this is currently the second-longest sanction period endured by a foreign government at the hands of the United States behind Cuba during the Cold War. Meanwhile, the politicians escape to countries like Canada on functional, private planes with billions of dollars to incentivize the Canadian government to look the other way. We need to work together to find alternative solutions to stop Iran from bolstering its nuclear arsenal and supporting terrorist organizations in their region. Some alternatives to sanctions include engaging in diplomatic conversations like negotiations, offering incentives, using soft-power tactics like influencing the culture or values of Iranian politicians or society, or even making changes to international law to hold the Iranian government accountable for its actions