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5 countries with the longest ongoing US sanctions

4. Iran: Decades of showdowns with the US

  • By Whitney Eulich

The first sanctions against Iran began in 1979 after the Iranian hostage crisis, and have been renewed and expanded since then. President Ronald Reagan imposed comprehensive sanctions on Iran in 1987 as a result of the country’s support for international terrorism and aggressive actions against shipping in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war.
 
Under Bill Clinton’s presidency in 1995 further restrictions were instilled due to Iran’s refusal to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency regulations concerning its nuclear program. These restrictions prohibit all trade and investment by US citizens and companies in Iran.
 
The United Nations has passed four rounds of sanctions against Iran for refusing to stop the enrichment of uranium, which could be processed into fuel suitable for a nuclear weapon. And on New Year’s Eve this year President Obama signed new financial restrictions aimed at making it difficult for countries to buy Iranian oil, reports the Monitor. These most recent sanctions target foreign firms purchasing Iranian oil, which is the largest source of revenue for the country.

The European Union has announced Iranian oil sanctions, in hopes of further choking finances and bringing Iran to the negotiating table, reports the Monitor.  Recent Iranian threats of retaliation in response to stricter sanctions include closing the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important shipping channel, which sees 20 percent of all oil transport.  

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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