Economic sanctions between nations are imposed based on the seventh chapter of the United Nations Charter by the United Nations Security Council.

According to the seventh chapter of the United Nations Charter, the Security Council has significant and broad powers to evaluate decisions made in situations of “threat to international peace, breach of peace, or acts of aggression” at a global level.

After accurately stating the legal status of a situation and accepting it as a threat to peace or a violation of peace or an aggressive act, the Security Council first takes temporary measures (non-military decisions) to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated. Then, if necessary, it can consider penalties such as complete or partial cessation of economic relations, ground, air, sea, postal, telegraphic, wireless, and other means of communication, as well as severing diplomatic relations, and all member states are obligated to implement them.

The first experience of sanctions against Iran by Western countries, specifically America, dates back to before the revolution and the first term of Prime Minister Dr. Mossadegh. At that time, the countries of America and England, in response to the nationalization of the oil industry, refrained from buying Iranian oil and the United Nations Security Council issued a resolution against Iran.

The sanctions of America and the international community continued after the 1357 Iranian Revolution for various reasons, and although it was accompanied by many ups and downs, it ultimately led to the referral of Iran’s nuclear case to the United Nations Security Council.

The closure of the American embassy in Iran in the first months after the revolution led to the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the beginning of US sanctions against Iran. The US also blocked Iranian assets worth $12 billion, including gold, bank deposits, and other properties. US officials claim that most of these assets were released in exchange for the release of American hostages, but according to Iranian officials, assets worth $10 billion are still blocked. Although American officials mention a much lower value for the blocked Iranian assets.

We can see the history, reasons, and scope of the most important sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic after the 1357 Revolution in the table below:

In addition to the cases mentioned in the above table, in January 2012, after the sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, the oil sanctions on Iran were also put on the agenda of Western countries, both directly and indirectly; the direct method being the sanction on purchasing oil and the sanction on buyers, and the indirect methods including insurance sanctions on oil tankers and banking sanctions. With the implementation of oil sanctions on Iran, importing countries gradually reduced their oil imports from Iran and in some cases replaced it with other producers.

In March 2012, Swift company also terminated all its collaborations with Iranian parties and banks, while about ninety percent of Iran’s foreign trade was being conducted through Swift. The impact of the oil sanctions on Iran was such that in addition to reducing the production and sale of oil in August 2013, it was announced that Iran would not have access to half of its oil sales revenue.

Sanctions against Iran continue, both by the international community and by the United States and the European Union. In the latest development in August 2013, just two days after the start of sanctions on Iran’s shipping industry, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to President Obama, requesting further sanctions against Iran.