Iran Protests: No Sanctions Relief to Tehran

The ongoing riots triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman murdered by the Islamic Republic’s chastity police, have unleashed a torrent of discussion about how America should respond.

Some observers would like to see President Biden intensify sanctions on Tehran to show support for the protestors and, ideally, hobble the regime. Others want to lift the sanctions to empower the Iranian people. According to Esfandyar Batmanghelidge, who is one of the proponents of the latter argument and of diplomatic engagement with Iran, “sanctions relief will make no difference as to whether the Islamic Republic can beat protestors, but . . . gives Iranian society the means for lasting political action.”

FR

About the Author

Farhad Rezaei

Farhad Rezaei is the director of Christian Watch on Global Islamism at the Philos Project.

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The ongoing riots triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman murdered by the Islamic Republic’s chastity police, have unleashed a torrent of discussion about how America should respond.

Some observers would like to see President Biden intensify sanctions on Tehran to show support for the protestors and, ideally, hobble the regime. Others want to lift the sanctions to empower the Iranian people. According to Esfandyar Batmanghelidge, who is one of the proponents of the latter argument and of diplomatic engagement with Iran, “sanctions relief will make no difference as to whether the Islamic Republic can beat protestors, but . . . gives Iranian society the means for lasting political action.”