{"title":"US sanctions on Iran — four-decade toolkit and what new measures
Bessent could unveil","content":"High-probability near-term measures: expansion
of secondary sanctions — US signals it will target non‑US firms and countries
that continue business with Iran, with particular focus on India, Gulf states
and other trading partners. Oil‑sector escalation: sanctions could extend to
downstream buyers, foreign refineries, shipowners, insurers, vessel managers and
correspondent banks that facilitate Iranian crude, plus wider measures against
the “shadow fleet.” Financial squeeze: measures may target Iran’s shadow‑banking
and non‑dollar payment channels — including foreign banks, non‑bank financials,
FX dealers, gold trading, crypto and offshore accounts — to sever funding
routes. Third‑party targeting: increased sanctions on foreign trade partners,
banks, shipping and aviation firms that assist sanctions evasion. Context —
precedent and scope: US measures since 1979 have included asset freezes (1979),
designation as a state sponsor of terrorism (1980s), bans on US firms dealing
with Iran (1990s), statutory secondary sanctions on foreign energy investment
(Iran Sanctions Act, 1996), nuclear‑era sanctions targeting enrichment, missiles
and related materials (2000s), a broad financial squeeze on Iran’s banking
system and oil receipts (2010–2011), sectoral expansions to oil, petrochemicals,
shipping, insurance, precious metals, autos, mining and finance (2012–2015), and
designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist
organization (2019)."}
