Iran in the Post-Sanction Era

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, emphasized on Wednesday evening, before his departure to Russia for a joint summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS member states, that Iran is preparing for the post-negotiation and post-sanction era. He stated that these summits provide a suitable opportunity to clarify our country's views on important regional and global issues. The end of the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the 1+5 countries has attracted the attention of various factions and groups both inside and outside Iran, raising the question of what transformations Iran will witness during the post-sanction period and how government policies will change in areas such as human rights and the observance of citizens' rights. Reza Alijani, a political activist residing in Paris, believes that the post-sanction era, or the era following the nuclear challenge, will not see immediate motivation or energy to resolve these issues, especially given the recent positions taken by Ayatollah Khamenei, who referred to university professors as commanders of soft war and students as officers of soft war. However, the post-sanction and post-nuclear situation will gradually impose pressures on the government, meaning that political dissidents who voted for Rouhani will demand their rights. If the middle class sees gradual improvement in its economic situation and becomes more hopeful about life, it will raise political demands. Additionally, global public opinion and independent international organizations, along with global powers acting in their own interests, will exert pressure for human rights in Iran. Despite the rulers' wishes, the human rights situation will gradually come under scrutiny and will certainly have its impact. Regarding the economic impact of the post-sanction era, just days before the end of the negotiation deadline, gold and coin prices in Iran reached their 'lowest level' in three years, with the head of the Iranian Gold and Jewelry Union calling it an 'unprecedented record.' According to IRNA, the prices of the dollar, euro, and pound also decreased by 35, 10, and 55 tomans, respectively, on Tuesday, July 6. Mehrdad Emadi, an economic expert in London, states that the main challenge in Iran will be redirecting economic activities. While it is true that sanctions imposed external limitations on us, they also somewhat aided in reducing productive activities and the willingness to invest in them, as the abnormal profits, or what we call 'rent' for imports, increased significantly. With the lifting of sanctions, we will enter a new phase of this challenge between forces seeking to increase domestic production and make the economy competitive and those who are currently in a stronger position and want to gain abnormal profits. It is certain that new variables in Iranian society will create different and varied outlooks in the post-sanction era, and the way Iranian officials handle opportunities will determine the outcome.