The United Nations has re-imposed economic and military sanctions on Iran, a decade after the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reduced said sanctions in return for Iran limiting its nuclear program. The first thing that might spring to mind is that the Islamic Republic is a hostile, fundamentalist theocracy that the international community needs to “contain” – to quote old Cold War rhetoric. But are these sanctions really fair or necessary, and will they achieve their prescribed aims?
If we’re talking about fairness, it is important to consider that it was the United States under Donald Trump in 2018 which pulled out of the JCPOA in the first place. Additionally, in June 2025, the US and Israel jointly bombed several nuclear facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Iran, despite multiple sources, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stating they have no evidence that Iran is moving towards building a nuclear weapon. Yet still, despite these attacks, the IAEA confirmed last week that inspections on Iran’s nuclear sites have resumed in accordance with the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) – a treaty which, by the way, Israel has never signed.
This past week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN that “Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb.” But beyond just taking the soft-on-the-West President’s word for it, let’s look at what Iran really has to gain – or, better yet, to lose – from having nuclear weapons.
Especially since the attack in June, the Islamic Republic has seen that the international community will let certain powers act with impunity towards Iran, wherever uranium is concerned. But even looking back to 2020, when a US strike killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, despite UN experts claiming it violated international law, the US walked away pretty much scot-free.
In a world where Iran’s main enemies – the US and Israel – seem virtually above the law, survival looks like de-escalation. The Islamic Republic is a relatively young institution that knows it is deeply unpopular amongst its own people and around the world. Iran has seen what the West has done to its neighbours in the Middle East when fledgling governments become too ambitious. Survival, legitimacy – these are Iran’s goals, not aggravating those who have proven that they can and will attack Iran if they see fit.
This is not just what Iran wants in theory. De-escalation, even appeasement, is evident. Despite the US pulling out of the JCPOA and its attack on Soleimani, Iran has repeatedly entered back into negotiations with Washington. Despite attacks on nuclear facilities, it has not left the NPT; just last week, Pezeshkian stated this would remain the case despite the reimposition of UN sanctions. In regard to Israel, Iran has not made any erratic decisions nor employed any disproportionate retaliation to Israel’s various unprovoked attacks in the past two years. All signs point to a fairly rational Iran.
Let’s also look at the historical evidence. For over 30 years, Western powers, particularly the US and Israel, have claimed that Iran is months, if not weeks away from building a nuclear weapon. In 1992, Benjamin Netanyahu (at the time a member of Israel’s Knesset) claimed that Iran will produce a nuclear weapon within three to five years. 1997 came. A nuclear Iran did not. He claimed the same time frame again in 1995, and reduced it to “one to two years” in 2009. In 2012, Netanyahu stood in front of the UN General Assembly with a cartoon bomb in hand, stating that Iran was just months from enriching enough uranium to build a bomb. The months passed.
Having established that Iran is not on the brink of having nuclear weapons, we must ask: are these UN sanctions fair or necessary? Short answer, no.
Everyone focuses on the military sanctions, like the arms embargo, which seem more than fair. But what about the economic sanctions that are sure to put additional strain on Iran’s vulnerable economy? Inflation at 40 per cent, unemployment steadily rising, a depreciating currency, and water and electricity shortages. Who really suffers here? The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who is said to be sitting on several billions in assets? No, it is, as always, the people of Iran.
Sanctions will not bring down a regime that does not care about its people, that executes its people. Sanctions will only make the Iranian people poorer, more desperate, and will worsen their standard of living while aggravating the Islamic Republic.
Iran has said for years that they do not want a nuclear weapon and has not proved otherwise. But they have also said for years: lift the sanctions, and we can have perfectly normal relations and regular negotiations. Maybe, for the sake of the Iranian people who will really be affected, the West should consider new routes rather than reimposing old, inauspicious ones.
“Iranian Flag over Archaeological Site – Bishapur – Southwestern Iran” by Adam Jones, Ph.D. – Global Photo Archive is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Related
UN Sanctions on Iran: Diplomacy’s Failure, The People’s Burden
The United Nations has re-imposed economic and military sanctions on Iran, a decade after the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reduced said sanctions in return for Iran limiting its nuclear program. The first thing that might spring to mind is that the Islamic Republic is a hostile, fundamentalist theocracy that the international community needs to “contain” – to quote old Cold War rhetoric. But are these sanctions really fair or necessary, and will they achieve their prescribed aims?
If we’re talking about fairness, it is important to consider that it was the United States under Donald Trump in 2018 which pulled out of the JCPOA in the first place. Additionally, in June 2025, the US and Israel jointly bombed several nuclear facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Iran, despite multiple sources, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stating they have no evidence that Iran is moving towards building a nuclear weapon. Yet still, despite these attacks, the IAEA confirmed last week that inspections on Iran’s nuclear sites have resumed in accordance with the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) – a treaty which, by the way, Israel has never signed.
This past week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN that “Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb.” But beyond just taking the soft-on-the-West President’s word for it, let’s look at what Iran really has to gain – or, better yet, to lose – from having nuclear weapons.
Especially since the attack in June, the Islamic Republic has seen that the international community will let certain powers act with impunity towards Iran, wherever uranium is concerned. But even looking back to 2020, when a US strike killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, despite UN experts claiming it violated international law, the US walked away pretty much scot-free.
In a world where Iran’s main enemies – the US and Israel – seem virtually above the law, survival looks like de-escalation. The Islamic Republic is a relatively young institution that knows it is deeply unpopular amongst its own people and around the world. Iran has seen what the West has done to its neighbours in the Middle East when fledgling governments become too ambitious. Survival, legitimacy – these are Iran’s goals, not aggravating those who have proven that they can and will attack Iran if they see fit.
This is not just what Iran wants in theory. De-escalation, even appeasement, is evident. Despite the US pulling out of the JCPOA and its attack on Soleimani, Iran has repeatedly entered back into negotiations with Washington. Despite attacks on nuclear facilities, it has not left the NPT; just last week, Pezeshkian stated this would remain the case despite the reimposition of UN sanctions. In regard to Israel, Iran has not made any erratic decisions nor employed any disproportionate retaliation to Israel’s various unprovoked attacks in the past two years. All signs point to a fairly rational Iran.
Let’s also look at the historical evidence. For over 30 years, Western powers, particularly the US and Israel, have claimed that Iran is months, if not weeks away from building a nuclear weapon. In 1992, Benjamin Netanyahu (at the time a member of Israel’s Knesset) claimed that Iran will produce a nuclear weapon within three to five years. 1997 came. A nuclear Iran did not. He claimed the same time frame again in 1995, and reduced it to “one to two years” in 2009. In 2012, Netanyahu stood in front of the UN General Assembly with a cartoon bomb in hand, stating that Iran was just months from enriching enough uranium to build a bomb. The months passed.
Having established that Iran is not on the brink of having nuclear weapons, we must ask: are these UN sanctions fair or necessary? Short answer, no.
Everyone focuses on the military sanctions, like the arms embargo, which seem more than fair. But what about the economic sanctions that are sure to put additional strain on Iran’s vulnerable economy? Inflation at 40 per cent, unemployment steadily rising, a depreciating currency, and water and electricity shortages. Who really suffers here? The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who is said to be sitting on several billions in assets? No, it is, as always, the people of Iran.
Sanctions will not bring down a regime that does not care about its people, that executes its people. Sanctions will only make the Iranian people poorer, more desperate, and will worsen their standard of living while aggravating the Islamic Republic.
Iran has said for years that they do not want a nuclear weapon and has not proved otherwise. But they have also said for years: lift the sanctions, and we can have perfectly normal relations and regular negotiations. Maybe, for the sake of the Iranian people who will really be affected, the West should consider new routes rather than reimposing old, inauspicious ones.
“Iranian Flag over Archaeological Site – Bishapur – Southwestern Iran” by Adam Jones, Ph.D. – Global Photo Archive is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Share this:
Like this:
Related