13 Feb 2026

For more than forty years, the United States has carried out a prolonged
campaign of economic pressure against the Islamic Republic of Iran, relying not
on military strikes but on sanctions, financial isolation, and restrictions on
banking. Marketed as an alternative to open warfare, this approach has sought to
weaken Iran's ability to endure external pressure.

In this week's episode of Demystifying Iran, Professor Mohammad Marandi dives
deep into how this economic warfare has been repeatedly framed in the rhetoric
of national security, human rights, counterterrorism, and nuclear
nonproliferation. Officials have portrayed it as a carefully calibrated policy
aimed at decision-makers rather than society at large.

The reality, however, has been far broader. Sanctions have disrupted trade,
limited access to essential goods and medical supplies, and strained everyday
life for millions. What is often described as targeted economic pressure has, in
effect, translated into widespread civilian hardship, exposing the true human
cost behind the policy.

00:00 Introduction
0:39 Sanctions: The art of silently killing kids
7:39 Historical Context of the Sanctions
11:14 Mechanics of the Siege
13:00 Sanctions as a Form of Biological Warfare
16:35 The Sky is not Exempt
17:57 Finance and Livelihoods
21:43 What impact have the sanctions truly had?