Analyzing the Humanitarian Consequences of US Sanctions against Iran with an Emphasis on Food Security and Nutrition

Subject Areas : International Relations

Gholamhosein Kordi ¹ , Mohammad Ali Khosravi ² , Reza Jalali ³ , Sousan Safaverdi ⁴

1 - PhD Student in Political Science, Political Sociology Minor, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic ‎Azad University, Tehran, Iran.‎
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad ‎University, Tehran, Iran.‎
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic ‎Azad University, Tehran, Iran.‎
4 - Department of Political Science, Faculty of Political Science, Central Tehran Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2022-10-31 Accepted : 2023-07-03 Published : 2023-05-22

Keywords: Iran, Food Security, JCPOA, Humanitarian Consequences of Sanctions,

Abstract :

This paper examines the humanitarian effects of US sanctions against Iranian from the perspective of food and nutrition security and is to find appropriate answers to the two questions of: What are the signs of the threat to food security in Iran after that Washington imposed nuclear sanctions against Tehran? Why and how have the American sanctions against Iran have endangered the food security and nutrition of Iranians? This paper is descriptive-analytical type and applies inferential methodology. The findings, mainly implemented through utilizing reasoning and qualitative analysis under the “Naïve Theory” of Sanctions by Johan Galtung, show that vital humanitarian goods (including food) during the past years have been subject to the laws and regulations of sanctions against Iran, due to the impediment’s sanctions have imposed trade and transportation of goods and international financial exchanges. These restrictions increased the price of food by 200 percent, and the highest has targeted food categories (including vegetables, meat and fruits). The minimum average cost of a healthy diet for an Iranian family is 3 times more than the amount of which an Iranian family can spend on food and tobacco. The percentage of Iranian urban and rural households prone to food insecurity (very high, high and moderate) has also increased between 1396-1398, respectively from 8.84% and 25.17% to 11.2% and 29.2%.