Will renewed US sanctions on Iran bite?

On November 2, US President Donald Trump tweeted an ominous message to Iran: “Sanctions are coming”. Three days later, the government delivered on his promise.

The move comes six months after Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal. It is also seen by analysts as central to his administration’s attempts to weaken Iranian military capability and curb its political influence in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the sanctions on Tehran’s oil, banking, and transportation sectors are meant to “starve the Iranian regime of the revenue it uses to fund violent and destabilising activities”.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, though, has accused the US of bullying, and says those most likely to be affected by the new measures are ordinary Iranians.

So, what lies behind the rhetoric? One week in, The Stream will explore the on-the-ground impact with a panel of Iranians. Join the conversation with your comments and questions.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:

Trita Parsi @tparsi
Founder, National Iranian American Council
tritaparsi.com

Hamed Mousavi @hamedmousaviUT
Professor, University of Tehran

Setareh Sadeqi @leelako
PhD candidate, University of Tehran

Read more:

Erdogan: US sanctions on Iran wrong, aimed to unbalance world – Al Jazeera
Why Iranian women are among the most vulnerable to US sanctions – Al Jazeera
How can Iran bypass US sanctions? – Al Jazeera

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