Sanctions against Iran
After the glorious triumph of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the first United States sanctions against Iran were applied on November 13, 1979, following the seizure of the American spy nest by university students. Thereafter, various types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic have been imposed.[1] Americans worked hard to make the most effective types of sanctions so that Iran adopts a different approach towards the West.
A) Scientific Sanctions
In the wake of the hostile and anti-Iranian policies against our country, the United States first went to scientific journals to exert pressure on Iran, and then limited any kind of scientific exchange of the academics with Iran across the world.
- Scientific monopoly is the most important secret of the power of the West and the United States. After the Islamic Revolution, the west almost made every effort to keep Iran backward in the field of scientific developments; they did not allow the transfer of new technologies to Iran and created a completely closed space.
- Detention, imprisonment and deportation of at least 10 graduates of the Sharif University of Technology, who wanted to attend “Sharif graduates’ gathering” in California, by the Government of the United States in 2006.
- In 2007, Microsoft and Yahoo have removed Iran from the country lists of their webmail services that receive web services.
B) Financial Sanctions on Iran
The United States’ economic sanctions on Iran are among the most significant issues in Iran-United States relations after the Islamic Revolution. Analyzing these sanctions has a special place in the literature of international sanctions.
The first United States sanctions on Iran were applied after the incident of holding American diplomats hostage in Tehran in 1979. Following the incident at the United States’ embassy, the United States froze $12 billion of Iranian government assets.[7] In addition, the United States imposed several sanctions on selling weapons to the country during the Iran-Iraq War. Before the war begins, the interim government of Iran had unilaterally cancelled purchasing F-16 aircraft from the United States.
In 1987, following the allegation of “supporting terrorism” made by the United States against Iran, Ronald Reagan put in place total economic sanctions against this country.
In 1995, the first Bill Clinton administration imposed total financial sanctions on Iran and subsequently, the United States Congress passed the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 that was targeted all foreign companies which provide investments over $20 million in Iran.
In 2002, the IEEE imposed a scientific sanction against Iran.
In 2006, a United States federal court authorized the seizure of one of the largest archaeological collections of Persepolis that belonged to Iran in favour of the victims of the suicide bombing in Israel.
When the United States announced that Bank Mellat, Bank Melli and Saderat Bank are affiliated with and sponsored terrorist organizations, the World Bank halted providing banking services to these Iranian banks.
on Thursday, April 25, 2007, the United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on some of the Iranian organizations are as follows:
1. Saderat Bank (All branches and subsidiaries)
2. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
3. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force
4. Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics
5. Melli Bank (all branches and subsidiaries abroad along with its central branch)
6. Kargoshaieh Bank (No. 587, Mohammadieh Square, Molavi St. Tehran)
7. Melli Bank ZAO (Moscow, Russia)
8. Melli Bank – PLC (London - United Kingdom)
9. Arian Bank (a joint venture between Melli Bank and Saderat Bank in Kabul, Afghanistan)
10. Mellat Bank (All branches abroad along with its central branch)
11. Mellat Bank SB CJSC (Yerevan, Armenia)
12. Persia International Bank PLC (United Kingdom)
C) Oil Sanctions
in fact, oil sanctions target the process of purchasing and selling petroleum products in the Iranian economy. Given the oil dependency in Iran’s economy, such restrictions result in huge impacts in a way that could severely disrupt the economic activity of the country.
D) Trade Sanctions
Trade sanctions are laws passed to restrict or abolish trading non-oil commodities such as food, medicine, as well as pharmaceutical and industrial goods with Iran, which caused damage to the country’s economy; moreover, the ban on the sale of drugs and medicines many Iranian patients needed is obviously the violation of human rights and has generated outrage among many activists in this arena across the globe.
E) Imposing Sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank
The adoption of such sanctions against the Islamic Republic has brought unprecedented pressure on the country, especially because of the exclusive dominance of the United States’ government on financial transactions that take place around the world along with threatening other countries that if they establish financial transactions with Iran they would be subjected to sanctions and face punishments; hence, conducting any financial transaction became impossible for Iran in such a way that the government was forced to use a barter trade system in order to continue its oil trades with other countries. Consequently, there was a significant reduction in the foreign currency of the country, which led to the rise of the dollar value and influenced the process of importing significant products and goods.
F) Shipping and Ports
These types of sanctions are only made during the war and in the most inhumane ones. Throughout the history of international relations, these sanctions will only come into play when during a war a country intends to disrupt the process of supplying food and medicine to its enemies and thus prevents the arrival of ships to the ports of another country.
8. Security Council Resolutions and Sanctions Provoked by the United States
On 4 February 2006, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency under the pressure of the United States adopted a resolution on Iran’s nuclear program upon which the matter would be referred to the Security Council.
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
According to the “1-20” website, “chapter VII of the United Nations Charter” sets out the UN Security Council’s powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and to take military and nonmilitary action to restore international peace and security.
Accordingly, the Security Council may decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members of the United Nations to apply such measures. These may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations.
Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security.
A. The First resolution: 1696
On July 31, 2006, the UN Security Council based on the “Non-Proliferation Treaty”
the IAEA Director-General’s reports, resolutions of the Board of Governors as well as the statement of the President of the Security Council, adopted the resolution 1696. the Council demanded that Iran suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities which would be verified by the IAEA. Also, the resolution urged all states to “exercise vigilance” and prohibit the transfer of any materials that could contribute to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Moreover, this resolution calls upon Iran to act in accordance with the provisions of the Additional Protocol and to implement without delay all transparency measures as the IAEA may request in support of its ongoing investigations.
The Council adopted the resolution 1696 (2006), by 14 votes in favour to one against (Qatar).
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737: the initial list of people and organizations whose assets are asked to be frozen due to their connection with nuclear and missile programs.
Four months later, on December 23, 2006, the Security Council approved the resolution 1737 without any opposition. This resolution was sponsored by France, Germany and the United Kingdom who had held meetings with Iran concerning its nuclear programs in 2003. According to this resolution, all states shall take measures to prevent the supply of all items which could contribute to Iran’s enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities. it requests Iran’s immediate suspension of the proliferation of sensitive nuclear activities, including all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and the work on all heavy water-related projects, as requested by the IAEA Board of Governors. In addition, it requires the ratification and implementation of the Nuclear NPT Additional Protocol.
Freezing the funds, other financial assets and economic resources owned by the persons or entities supporting the Iranian nuclear activities and the prohibition of academic studies in majors related to the nuclear or missile program are mentioned in this resolution.
The Security Council also established a committee (known as the 1737 Committee) to oversee the implementation of the resolution; identify individuals and entities that do not comply with the resolution and publish 90-day-reports on how sanctions can be more effective.
B. Resolution 1747
On 24 March 2007, Resolution 1747 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council. In this Resolution, the Council decided to tighten the sanctions imposed on Iran in connection with that nation’s nuclear program (especially ballistic missiles).
This resolution calls upon all states to exercise vigilance and restraint regarding the entry into or transit through their territories of individuals who are engaged in, directly associated with or providing support for Iran’s proliferation of sensitive nuclear activities or the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems and decides in this regard that all sates shall notify the Committee of the entry into or transit through their territories of the persons designated in the Annex to resolution 1737 (2006) or Annex I to this resolution, as well as of additional persons designated by the Security Council or the Committee as being engaged in Iran’s proliferation nuclear activities. The council decides that Iran shall not supply, sell or transfer any arms or related materiel, and that all states shall prohibit the procurement of such items from Iran by their nationals calling upon them not to enter into new commitments for grants, financial assistance, and concessional loans, to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; moreover, the resolution calls upon Iran’s commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Annex II of this resolution clarifies the purpose of the Security Council providing incentives for the country regarding its nuclear, political, economic and international activities.
C. Resolution 1803
The UN Security Council Resolution 1803 was adopted on March 3, 2008, by a vote of 14-0-1, with Indonesia as the only abstention. The Security Council of the United Nations, acting according to Article 41 of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, required Iran to cease and desist from all uranium enrichment. More individuals and institutions related to or associated with the nuclear or ballistic missile programs of Iran are included in the sanction list. In addition, the Security Council calls upon all states to inspect the cargoes to and from Iran, of aircraft and vessels, at their airports and seaports, owned or operated by Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line provided there are reasonable grounds to believe that the aircraft or vessel is transporting goods prohibited under this resolution or resolution 1737 (2006) or resolution 1747 (2007); moreover, it calls upon all states to exercise vigilance in entering into new commitments for public provided financial support for trade with Iran, including the granting of export credits, guarantees or insurance, to their nationals or entities involved in such trade and to exercise vigilance over the activities of financial institutions in their territories with all banks domiciled in Iran, in particular with Bank Melli and Bank Saderat, and their branches and subsidiaries abroad.
D. Resolution 1835
This resolution that was adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 27 September 2008, is only recalling for the implementation of previous resolutions.
E. Resolution 1929
Following the 2007 incidents and riots in Iran, the United Nations Security Council while recalling previous resolutions, was adopted Resolution 1929, on 9 June 2010, concerning the topics of Iran and non-proliferation and in response to Iran taking uranium enrichment levels to 20%. The resolution was adopted after receiving 12 votes, two against (Brazil and Turkey) and one abstention (Lebanon). As the same as the previous resolutions, this one also focuses on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The main provisions of the resolution some of which were stated by previous ones included:
- The ban is applied on Iran concerning the investment of the country in sensitive nuclear activities abroad, where it could acquire nuclear technology, as well as activities involving ballistic missiles; the States are also to exercise vigilance over the application of some petrochemical industry and equipment in nuclear activities; prohibition of selling arms to Iran; Iran is prohibited from undertaking any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons and states are required to take all necessary measure to prevent the transfer of related technology or technical assistance; applying sanctions on Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; ratification of the Additional Protocol as well as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty; Iran is subject to a new regime for inspection of suspicious cargo. States should inspect any vessel on their territory suspected of carrying prohibited cargo, including banned conventional arms or sensitive nuclear or missile items. States are also expected to cooperate in such inspections on the high seas and once prohibited items are found, they are obligated to seize and dispose of the items. States are called upon to prevent any financial service related to the nuclear weapons (including insurance, freezing any asset, exercising vigilance when doing business with Iranian firms such as banks, Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with the prohibition of joint ventures, correspondent banking relationships, and opening of any new branches of Iranian banks)
F. Extending resolutions
On June 19, 2011, the Security Council passed on a resolution based on which the mandate of the panel of experts that supports the Iran Sanctions Committee, was extended for one year. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 14 in favour, none against and one abstention from Lebanon.
the Security Council called for credible and objective assessments, analysis and recommendations through the framework of short and long-term reports prepared by the expert panel. The panel is urged to co-operate with the committee established in Resolution 1737 providing the committee with the measures taken in this regard.
The 1984, 2049, 2105 and 2159 resolutions that were adopted in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively, are intended to annually extend the structure created by resolution 1737 and completed by resolution 1929.
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