The Impact of US Sanctions on Iran

Abstract

Abstract This study looks at different ways states act in order to achieve their objectives in the international arena; foreign policy employs various ranging from diplomacy, propaganda, economic statecraft to the outright of military force. The study concentrates on economic sanctions used by the U.S. against Iran. The study argued that the U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran caused a negative impact on the economy and population without achieving the main goal- change of government policies; only when the oil sector was hit, the sanctions affected the Iranian government and paved a way for negotiations. In this project we were guided by an explanatory model based on the "Carrot and Stick Approach", the ‘HSE Approach’ and ‘Domestic politics/signaling approach". The research employs qualitative format and content analysis. The result shows that the U.S. sanctions against Iran significantly affected the Iranian economy and population, but they failed to change the policies of this country, until the time when the Iranian oil sector was hit, which led the government to negotiations with the West, in other words, the U.S. achieved its foreign policy objectives through economic statecraft.