"It's a very important acknowledgment, probably long overdue," a senior U.S. official told reporters on a conference call about the sanctions. Former FBI agent Robert Levinson went missing in 2007.
The Trump administration ordered new sanctions on Iran, in response to the attack in Saudi Arabia that temporarily cut off nearly 6% of the world's oil supply. The sanctions' effect may be limited.
The Iranian capital remains vibrant. But inflation has soared, and in a week of reporting in Tehran, NPR's Steve Inskeep found some residents openly critical of their government.
Shortages affecting hospitals and clinics are a perilous example of an economic crisis that has worsened since the U.S. imposed economic and financial penalties on the country.
The Trump administration can cause Iran severe pain, but it cannot trigger the collapse of the regime, argue Aaron David Miller of the Wilson Center and Richard Sokolsky of the Carnegie Endowment.
Japan, China, India, Turkey and South Korea have been benefiting from temporary waivers since President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran last year.
The Trump administration hopes the sanctions will force Iran to negotiate a new nuclear deal. But analysts point out there are overt and covert activities to avoid the penalties.
The Trump administration is poised to reimpose sanctions on Iran this Monday. Tehran has been abiding by the nuclear deal, but some warn that it could fall apart in the face of renewed sanctions.
Come Monday, the Trump administration plans to restore the full measure of sanctions that were lifted with the Iran nuclear deal. You probably have questions about the situation. We have answers.
"This is a decision, frankly, that is 39 years overdue," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said as he announced the U.S. is ending its Treaty of Amity with Iran.
The new sanctions, which were previously lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, severely limit Iran's ability to buy U.S. currency and issue sovereign debt, and place restrictions on trade with Iran.
The Trump administration says penalties will snap back into place overnight against several sectors of the Iranian economy, embarking on a multistep return to U.S. policy before the 2015 nuclear deal.
Demonstrators took to the streets in the capital this week, shutting down the capital city's sprawling Grand Bazaar and protesting outside the parliament.
Many of Iran's top oil importers are in Asia. South Korea is among them, but U.S. pressure to decrease oil purchases puts Seoul in a tricky position ahead of President Trump's North Korea summit.
