The Unintended Consequences of International Sanctions on Iran

The present essay aims to understand the human rights concerns and humanitarian consequences of targeted sanctions as well as comprehensive economic sanctions in Iran. It also aims to give a brief outline of the sanctions system as one of the main tools for the UN Security Council. It covers the humanitarian impact of sanctions on Iranians, and argues that the international sanctions against Iran have had adverse impact on the Iranian population. Sanctions have lowered the standard of living and well-being of Iranian civilians, including the reduction of availability of food and medicine and increasing the inflation and unemployment rates as well as having negative effects on civil society. It also sheds some light on the human rights violations caused by both comprehensive economic sanctions and targeted sanctions in Iran.