Publication

This Brief assesses the effectiveness of the 2012 EU and US economic sanctions package against Iran. While the sanctions were designed to resolve the nuclear standoff by eliciting Iranian agreement in the E3+3 (Germany, France, the UK, plus the US, China and Russia) negotiations, the authors argue that the regime has not changed its stance despite suffering economically. Instead of increasing the pressure on Iran, the authors advocate for a return to a more balanced dual-track approach to reinforce the moderate narrative within the Iranian ruling elite.