ABSTRACT
Sanctions have been used as a foreign policy tool since the post-World War II as an alternative means to war, to change governments or switch their behavior. From that period until now, the methods of imposing sanctions have become distinctive and complicated. This study therefore examined at the United States-Iran rivalry in the Middle East and sanctions against Iran. This study used a historical research design, and the trend analysis technique was used to analyze the data. This study revealed that despite the sanctions against Iran, Iran’s exports have grown with the member countries of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the largest import to Iran has been from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The study concluded that the continuation of Iran’s regional policies, political countermeasure, lack of political support of other countries with Trump’s move to withdraw from JCPOA, Iran’s economic diversification, Iran’s technology development and nuclear program, Iran’s geopolitical location and the limited ability of the sanctions tool were the fundamental reasons for ineffectiveness of sanctions against Islamic Republic Iran.
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