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Hey there – it's Assal with NIAC.
The Treasury Department has released their 2021 Sanctions Review, which aimed to list out a series of principles to guide the Biden administration’s use of sanctions abroad.
Nearly one year into the Biden presidency, we are frustrated with the fact that virtually all of Trump’s maximum pressure policies on Iran remain in place. NIAC remains fully aware of the impact U.S. sanctions have had for our loved ones in Iran. The humanitarian crisis there has intensified with as many as 200,000 Iranians dead from COVID-19. The Iranian people, their health, and livelihoods are bearing the brunt of these sanctions.
It’s time that the U.S. make long overdue and necessary changes to its sanctions policy, including rethinking how sanctions are used to perpetuate forever wars that the majority of Americans desperately want to end.
The longer the U.S. waits to make these changes, the more undue and harmful consequences are felt by the Iranian people, particularly during an ongoing and ever changing pandemic. At NIAC, we believe it's necessary to make these changes in coordination with organizations and institutions already working to get the proper aid and supplies to the Iranian people during this fraught time.
We appreciate the Biden administration's overarching goal of using sanctions more strategically, including attempting to avoid harming civilians. We also believe that the current “maximum pressure” sanctions in place are the antithesis of this goal, and can only lead the U.S. and Iran down a tenuous path.
We’re urging the Biden administration to follow up this report with actions – including acting with urgency to safeguard U.S. diplomatic interests and the humanitarian needs of communities around the globe.
NIAC is going to continue to advocate for changes in the U.S. Sanction policy. Your investment helps us continue this important work as we aim to advocate for our mission of peace and diplomacy around the globe.
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Thanks so much,
Assal Rad
Senior Research Fellow, NIAC
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