Posts and articles examining the effects of sanctions on Iranians inside and outside the country.

August 20, 2013

Iran — Sanctions Lock Doors for Civil Society

Arseh Sevom --For many civil society actors in Iran, the economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the international community have multiplied the hardships they face from their own antagonistic government. Sometimes it can feel as though all the doors around you find are locked. Over the past couple of weeks, a new sanctions have been imposed by the US congress. A group of political prisoners wrote an open letter to Barak Obama asking for an end to the sanctions. Iranians who want to study certain fields in the US have been met with closed doors due to the most recent round of sanctions. The costs of medications and medical treatments have soared over the past few years in Iran, while the value of the currency has plummeted. In an interesting development, confirmation hearings for President Rouhani's cabinet nominees were broadcast on Iranian state television. Finally, Iran marks sixty years since a coup organized by the CIA and the British ousted Iran's Prime Minister.
August 12, 2013

Iran Sanctions — More Pain, Less Gain?

It seems that the least productive U.S. congress in more than 50 years, agrees on one thing: loading sanctions upon sanction on Iran. The new laws seem to be counter-productive, are hurting ordinary Iranians, and harm chances for negotiations. Iranian researchers are cut off from scientific publishing. Patients are finding it more and more difficult to not only find medication, but get coverage for it with their insurance as well. Arseh Sevom’s Peyman Majidzadeh provides a round-up in his current overview, expressing his concern and frustration with the contradiction between the expressed intentions of the imposed sanctions and the harsh realities that result.
July 29, 2013

Desperately Seeking Birth Control in #Iran

Narges Bajoghli recounts her problems gaining access to safe contraceptives in Iran. She writes, "I knew that Western sanctions against Iran had made it difficult if not impossible to procure many vital medicines...But I never thought there would be shortages of medicines as routine as birth control."
June 3, 2013

Iran: Ultra Democracy, Engineering Makes it So

In the most “engineered” of election campaigns since the inception of the Islamic Republic, candidates are surprised to find themselves censored. The Revolutionary Guards reorganizes to face the challenge posed by elections, warning that Ahmadinejad supporters could be the source of unrest in the upcoming elections. “Vision” meetings are held to “guide” voters to the correct candidate. Prisoners of conscience are called back to prison from furlough. This is how an “ultra-democracy” handles election campaigning.