Sanctions on Iran

Abstract

Abstract“Sanctions on Iran” examines the political dynamics that have marked recent US debates over imposing or lifting sanctions on Iran. From the 1990s until 2013, Iran sanctions debates were routinely characterized by strong bipartisanship in Congress and tensions between Capitol Hill and the White House, as lawmakers in both parties repeatedly pressed for new sanctions that presidents considered ill-advised. This political constellation was fueled by concerns about Iran’s nuclear program that were widely shared by Americans across the ideological spectrum, as well as by support for sanctions by an influential advocacy group with close ties to both parties. However, policy debates on the issue became more polarized once the focus of Iran policy shifted to a major nuclear agreement negotiated by Barack Obama with Iran and other countries, which raised the partisan stakes of the issue and brought to the fore a core left-right ideological fault line over multilateralism.