The Future of Nuclear Sanctions Against Iran, Explained in 90 Seconds
Alex Anderson / Josh Siegel /
Under a deal requiring Iran to curb its nuclear program, the United States and the broader international community will lift sanctions on Tehran imposed over several decades.
The Obama administration has said the deal will give Iran relief from nuclear-related sanctions, and not impact other sanctions aimed at Tehran over its sponsorship of terrorism and human rights abuses.
Even still, the administration estimates that lifting the nuclear sanctions will release some $100 billion to Iran.
Since the 1979 hostage crisis at the American embassy in Tehran, the United States has led international efforts to use sanctions as punishment to deter Iran from nefarious activity, including its nuclear ambitions.
Now, as U.S. lawmakers get set to vote on whether to lift certain sanctions that were imposed by Congress, the rest of the world is already moving forward.
The U.N. Security Council and European Union have separately already begun the process of removing their sanctions on Iran.
In addition, experts, including Mark Dubowitz from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, say that a congressional vote disapproving the nuclear deal would not prevent President Barack Obama from acting alone to stop enforcing many U.S. sanctions on Iran.
According to one expert who opposes the deal, Emanuele Ottolenghi of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, “the sanctions are toast.”
Learn more about the future of nuclear sanctions on Iran in the short video above.