“Most of Democratic candidates think that the U.S should return back to nuclear deal at once because suspending the sanctions will cause a negotiation with Iran. If the U.S without a precondition will not adhere to the agreement, Iranians will not motivate to negotiate. Why must they talk to the violator of the deal?” Rob Malley, who was on Iran negotiating team under the Obama administration told BBC Persian on May 14, 2019. “I spoke with several Democrat candidates and their advisors, and all of them agree that we must back to the deal at the first in case of victory.”

Malley Now is an envoy to Iran that selected by President Joe Biden. But now, nothing has differed from the Trump administration. America is out of the deal, sanctions adhere, and Iranians are under maximum pressure as before.

The game of chicken started between Iran and the U.S after the 1979 revolutionary, and it is going on. The game has continued for many years, it is an unfinished tragic story for Iran's people. No winner and nothing to be proud of in the public standoff between both, but ordinary people of Iran are the definitive losers of the game. The sanctions and economic pressure on Iranians have been an inhumane tool of the game against people that high inflation and recession are natural conditions for their lives.

But in 2015, Iran and the U.S agreed on the nuclear deal, and sanctions reduced significantly. Iran nuclear deal is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 by the U.S, the European Union, E3, China, Russia, and Iran. In the following, Trump denounced the deal on May 8, 2018. Also, he imposed crippling sanctions against Iran’s economy. The sanctions have reduced Iran’s income from oil export significantly, and Iran’s currency has lost %60 of its value. Iran’s benefits had lost in the deal, and Iran had warned that the country reduces its commitments concerning JCPOA. So, Iran reduced its commitments in several steps one by one, and the deal almost finished.

Joe Biden’s winning in the United States presidential election 2020 made a hope to revive the Iran nuclear deal. But now, an unsolved problem is going on without a solution. Two sides want the first step to being taken by the other. Biden says if Iran back to its commitments; we will back to JCPOA. On another side, Iran's officials say lifting the sanctions is the precondition of backing our nuclear commitments. Now, The U.S says ready for talks with Iran to revive the nuclear deal, but Iran does not want to talk now. Iran’s supreme leader says “action not words”. The action for Iran is only lifting all sanctions, a thing that the U.S does not act anything about it. It is a deep gridlock that diplomacy can’t open it apparently.

Where are Iranians in the game? Who thinks about them? Two sides want themselves demanded, and Iran’s people demand is not matter. From 2018, the pressure has increased on people day by day. The economy has fallen into a deep recession, oil exports have reduced severely, and the Iranian rial has fallen to One-fifth in value. Also, living costs have risen dramatically now, the lack of some fundamental stuff such as edible oil and expensive goods is catastrophic. Some analysts say that inflation in Iran in 2021 has increased more than 100% compared to 2019. A kilo of red meat has become a luxury in Iran. It used to cost 40000 rials per Kg before the new sanctions, now it is at least 100000. And these are only some problems of ordinary Iranians.

Another problem is related to the health of people, Medicine has become harder and more expensive to get hold of. Sanctions are not supposed to apply to medical supplies but they do indirectly. Some drug supplies are now refusing to sell Iran to avoid falling foul of the U.S. There are people suffering cancer, epilepsy, hemophilia. And there is no doubt that sanctions have limited Iran’s ability to fight the pandemic.

The sanctions also have affected the publishing industry in the country. Many Well-established newspapers have now simply become several pages lighter because the price of paper and ink has increased severely. Moreover, Iranians use smartphones for doing many works, but many international tech companies like Uber, don’t operate in Iran. Iran’s 9 million iPhone users cannot download these apps from the app store.

And the airplanes of Iran are so old. Many of the experts and journalists say that sanctions have turned Iranian airplanes into flying coffins. The old airline fleet in Iran, forcing the country to rely on the spare parts purchased on the black market, and on second-handed planes are important reasons for aviation unsafety in Iran. Iran’s companies had reached several deals with Boeing and Airbus for the purchase of hundreds of passenger airplanes before the imposed sanctions by the Trump administration.

Also, some analysts believe that corruption and mismanagement are the main reason for problems in the country, but the sanctions are undeniable. Maybe the sanction is an instrument of pressure against some countries, but that tool should not endanger innocent people`s lives. Whilst both Iran and U.S blame each other to try to convince the ordinary Iranians that these sanctions are not actually at them. In fact, the game continues boring and long, and ordinary people are abandoned. Stubbornness on both sides is continuing, in the eyes of the US government, Iran is at a disadvantage, and Biden does not want to give concessions at the outset; also, Iran is resisting. Neither Washington nor Tehran would consider ordinary Iranians, and Iran-US standoff is going on.

By: Mohammad Javad Mousavizadeh