I have lost my sleep after read the news that every 10 minutes, a person dies in Iran and 50 other get infected/positive. Iran is worst hit after ITALY. Government is trying to float the waves of everything is or Will be ALRIGHT but the question is, Is Everything alright in IRAN?
The simple answer to this is no. Iran is going through worst sanctions ever imposed on any country by US. This Middle Eastern nation is worst hit by covid-19 with more than 1800 deaths and at least 23000 people infected and counting. The temporary help which Washington tried to offer was rejected by Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday. These tensions between US AND IRAN have started from 2015 after trump withdrew US from nuclear deal with world powers. This imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Let’s have a look on few of these sanctions and how they affect day to day life in IRAN.
1: Medicines: It has become harder and more expensive to get hold of. Unfortunately sanctions affect have this industry as well and many drug suppliers refuse to sell to Iran to avoid falling foul to the US. This is leading to drug shortages everyday where thousands of lives remain at risk. Patients who have cancer and other major diseases suffer every day to get proper treatments. Iran can’t manufacture them properly or fully because some of the ingredients have to imported. Washington blames corruption and mismanagement of Iranian leaders for this shortage in the country.
2:-INK AND PAPER:- The country is dealing with ink shortages and paper prices have gone up since the US pulled out of the nuclear deal putting paper and publishing industry in jeopardy. Many national dailies have cut short to few pages only.
3:- Meat INDUSTRY: – It is simply a luxury to purchase a kilo of Red meat in IRAN. It used to be very affordable but its price has tripled since the new sanctions. Sanctions on Iranian banks have made it almost impossible to import food and many people have been forced to simply cut meat from their diet. Tehran times reports that a lot of restaurants have shut down and people have themselves understood rationing of food and its importance.
4:- Technology:- As like everyone else in the world, people in Iran use their smart phones to book a cab or purchase groceries online but big giant companies like uber don’t operate in Iran. Developers have come up with a likewise Iranian version of uber called snap but almost 9 million iPhone user can’t download that app simply because of US sanctions. On the other hand, internet in Iran is already censored and young people face the wrath of squeezing from within and outside Iran as well.
5:- Aviation Industry: – Civil aviation is the major hit. Planes in Iran are very old and more than 2576 people have died in plane crashes in last 3 decades. Iranian government is trying its level best to bring in world’s best companies like Boeing and airbus to deliver the new fleet but they could only deliver handful of planes before the new sanctions were imposed on Iran.
6:-OIL INDUSTRY:- Iran can’t sell its oil, gas or petrochemicals products in an open market and they are trying to look for grey market buyers like china, Iran or few in Europe but grey market means not in the reasonable price and quantity. Oil industry is biggest hit since sanctions and those who purchase are even under constant threat of sanctions from US. The US aims to pull down Iran $55BN oil industry to zero. The industry involves thousands of employees and is government’s lifeline. US accused Iran of smuggling for which the deputy oil minister of Iran said, this is not smuggling but countering sanctions which we don’t see as legitimate.
7:- Banking Transactions:- The executive order was first imposed 1979 after the US embassy incident in Tehran but new sanctions recently on Iran’s central bank and Development fund and other financial transfers have freeze billions of dollars. This was extended to global banks around the globe to cut transactions with central bank.
8:- Revolutionary Guards:- To be quiet honest with you, IGRC Iran revolutionary guards corps has almost been exempted from US sanctions. The new sanctions clearly mentioned that IGRC will be exempted. Despite continuous attempts from President Rohani or the oil minister of Iran saying that US is trying to divide and give the economy to someone with the power and economic dominance in the country. The IGRC has created various economic networks and has many established bonyads in sectors like agriculture transport and mining as well.
9:- Space Agency: – The US have imposed worst sanctions on Iran’s space agency as well. This includes Iran space research Centre, Iran space agency and astronautics research agency. The US has waned Iran not to use its space as cover to advance its ballistic missile programs. The US fears long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used launch nuclear war heads.
10:-Market Woes: – For decades, sanctions have prevented Iranians from enjoying the freedom of trading on an open market. The cost of everything is Iran is rising day in and day out. Low income Iranians complain about rising costs in nearly about every product on the market.
Despite all these sanctions, the people of Iran are growing stronger day after day. Trump imposed a brutal travel ban in January 2020 after the US assassination of a top Iranian General Qassem Suleiman and Iranian retaliation against US military bases in IRAQ.
I pray for the new dawn and hope that these brutal sanctions will be lifted soon on humanitarian ground amid covid-19 crisis.
Muzamil Maqbool is a developmental Practitioner and has worked in many International organizations in INDIA and Abroad. Views are his own and not reflects to the organization he works for. He can be reached at connectmuzamil.maqbool@gmail.com
