maximum pressure campaign

{{main|United States sanctions against Iran}}

In May 2018, then U.S. president Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran and imposed several new non-nuclear sanctions against Iran, some of which were condemned by Iran as a violation of the deal.{{Citation | publisher = CNN | url = https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-iran-nuclear-deal/ | title = Trump, Iran nuclear deal | date = 8 May 2018 | access-date = 1 November 2021 | archive-date = 19 November 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211119225138/https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-iran-nuclear-deal/ | url-status = live }} In November 2018, the U.S. officially reimposed all sanctions against Iran that had been lifted before the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA.{{cite news |title=US targets arms program with strongest sanctions since scrapping Iran deal |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-03/trump-and-iran-sanctions/10462528 |access-date=31 October 2021 |work=ABC News |date=2 November 2018 |language=en-AU |archive-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214130717/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-03/trump-and-iran-sanctions/10462528 |url-status=live }}

Elizabeth Rosenberg, a former U.S. Treasury Department official told NPR that the program include sanctioning "some Iranian financial institutions not previously designated and that were previously used to facilitate food, medicine and medical imports." To this end, most large Iranian financial institutions are subject to the sanctions.

According to a report from the International Monetary Fund, Iran's Gross Official Reserves fell from an average of $70 billion in 2017 to $4 billion in 2020.{{cite web |title=Did the "Maximum Pressure" Campaign Against Iran Fail? |url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/did-maximum-pressure-campaign-against-iran-fail |website=Council on Foreign Relations |access-date=19 October 2021 |language=en |archive-date=17 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217050109/https://www.cfr.org/blog/did-maximum-pressure-campaign-against-iran-fail |url-status=live }} Certain analysts believe the campaign failed to change Iran's regional activities or counter Iran's proxy influence in the region, force Iran to renegotiate the nuclear deal and hinder its nuclear and missile programs. In 2019, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that U.S. sanctions had deprived the Iranian economy of $200 billion in oil revenue and investments.{{cite news |title=Rouhani Says Sanctions Have Cost Iran $200 Billion In Revenues |url=https://en.radiofarda.com/a/rouhani-says-sanctions-have-cost-iran-200-billion-in-revenues/30353850.html |access-date=14 July 2023 |work=en.radiofarda.com |language=en |archive-date=15 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715014938/https://en.radiofarda.com/a/rouhani-says-sanctions-have-cost-iran-200-billion-in-revenues/30353850.html |url-status=live }} Senior officials in the administration of Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran who took office after the Maximum Pressure Campaign's termination, claimed that oil sales in the initial months of Raisi's presidency had jumped by 40 percent despite being under "stringent US sanctions".{{cite news |last1=Motamedi |first1=Maziar |title=Iran says oil sales strong despite effect of Ukraine war |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/11/iran-says-oil-sales-strong-despite-ukraine-war-changes |access-date=5 July 2022 |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |archive-date=4 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704232101/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/11/iran-says-oil-sales-strong-despite-ukraine-war-changes |url-status=live }}

The campaign was criticized by some foreign policy analysts as being poorly conceived and counterproductive to other American foreign policy goals. David Wallsh, writing for the Atlantic Council, posited that "an exclusively punitive policy unaccompanied by diplomatic off-ramps incentivizes Tehran to fight fire with fire by imposing costs on its perceived aggressors."{{cite web |last1=Wallsh |first1=David |title=The 'maximum pressure' campaign undermines Trump's national security strategy |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/the-maximum-pressure-campaign-undermines-trumps-national-security-strategy/ |website=Atlantic Council |access-date=24 October 2021 |date=12 February 2020 |archive-date=4 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104211426/https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/the-maximum-pressure-campaign-undermines-trumps-national-security-strategy/ |url-status=live }}

Other concerns had been raised regarding the negative effect of the program on the welfare of the Iranian populace. One analysis by Human Rights Watch argued the redoubled U.S. sanctions had effectively constrained Iran's "ability to finance [...] humanitarian imports", due to the broad U.S. sanctions against Iranian banks, accompanied by the "aggressive rhetoric from U.S. officials". The intensified sanctions have seriously threatened Iranians' right to health and access to essential medicines, causing documented shortages—ranging from a lack of vital drugs for patients with epilepsy to limited chemotherapy medications for treating Iranian cancer patients.{{cite web |title="Maximum Pressure": US Economic Sanctions Harm Iranians' Right to Health |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/29/maximum-pressure/us-economic-sanctions-harm-iranians-right-health |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=30 October 2021 |language=en |date=29 October 2019 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221024401/https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/29/maximum-pressure/us-economic-sanctions-harm-iranians-right-health |url-status=live }}

The United Arab Emirates expressed its absolute support for the United States continuing the maximum pressure against Iran. Israeli politicians have also expressed support for the program.{{cite web |last1=Ng |first1=Abigail |title=Middle East leaders praise Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign on Iran as Biden takes office |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/22/us-iran-middle-east-praises-trumps-maximum-pressure-campaign-as-biden-takes-over.html |website=CNBC |access-date=19 October 2021 |language=en |date=22 January 2021 |archive-date=16 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116133213/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/22/us-iran-middle-east-praises-trumps-maximum-pressure-campaign-as-biden-takes-over.html |url-status=live }}

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran said in July 2019 that he was "not only concerned that sanctions and banking restrictions will unduly affect food security and the availability and distribution of medicines, pharmaceutical equipment and supplies, but is also concerned at their potential negative impact on United Nations and other operations and programs in the country."

In November 2021, during the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi and the beginning of a new round of nuclear talks, Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator has said that in the seventh round of talks to revive the IAEA nuclear deal, the Islamic Republic of Iran called for the lifting of all sanctions against the US campaign of maximum pressure as a prelude to the resumption of talks.{{Cite web|title=US must 'accept reality' and lift sanctions: Iran negotiator|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/22/us-must-accept-reality-lift-sanctions-says-irans-negotiator|access-date=2021-12-05|archive-date=2021-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221114010/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/22/us-must-accept-reality-lift-sanctions-says-irans-negotiator|url-status=live}}

• Humanitarian impacts of U.S. sanctions against Iran
• Iranian frozen assets

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{{First presidency of Donald Trump}}

{{Iran–United States relations}}

Category:Sanctions against Iran

Category:Economy of Iran

Category:Politics of Iran

Category:Iran–United States relations

Category:First presidency of Donald Trump