Bolton: More Sanctions Are on the Way

While John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, announced on Friday in Paris the imposition of further U.S. sanctions against Iran, Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's representative to the United Nations, described "America's unilateral policies and illegal actions as contrary to the rule of law, the principles governing the UN Charter, and multilateralism." According to John Bolton, the new sanctions against Iran will be finalized and announced in the coming days, targeting areas related to terrorism and counter-terrorism. The U.S. National Security Advisor told reporters, "I think you will gradually see even more sanctions with more precise implementation." Meanwhile, Gholamali Khoshroo, speaking at a UN Security Council meeting held last Friday, sharply criticized "America's unilateralist policies," stating, "America's selfish policies and unilateral actions have jeopardized the foundations of international cooperation and multilateralism." Khoshroo emphasized that "the world should not allow the U.S. to continue this unilateral, arrogant, and selfish behavior, which is focused on a power-based worldview rather than the rule of law." He noted that "based on 12 reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has fulfilled all its commitments and will continue to implement its commitments in accordance with the benefits it receives." On the other hand, John Bolton, who was in Paris to attend the centenary commemoration of the end of World War I, referred to the impact of sanctions imposed on Iran in changing the "hostile activities" of the Islamic Republic in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, stating, "These changes are not yet sufficient, but the effects have begun." The U.S. National Security Advisor also pointed to developments in domestic politics in Iran, saying, "We are witnessing continued and intensified political dissatisfaction within Iran, and these oppositions are still manifesting themselves." Bolton's reference is to the protests and demonstrations that occurred in several Iranian cities last December. Additionally, in recent weeks and months, the number of sectoral protests, including labor strikes, retiree gatherings, teachers, and other professional groups such as merchants, has increased. According to John Bolton, "economically, the Iranian rial has reached its lowest price, inflation has quadrupled, and the country is clearly in recession." Despite the fact that the U.S. exempted eight major buyers of Iranian oil from sanctions, allowing them to continue limited and temporary purchases of oil from Iran, Mr. Bolton reiterated the U.S. goal of zeroing out Iranian oil exports. In recent months, the price of the dollar and other currencies in Iran has surged significantly, although in recent weeks, the trend of currency price changes has fluctuated with a milder slope. The dollar price has recently fluctuated around 14,500 tomans, and the government and the central bank have managed to prevent a sharp price surge in this market following the second round of sanctions imposed on November 5. The pre-emptive effects of sanctions in the currency market in recent months, as well as the presence of the main market maker, namely the central bank, in the currency market, are considered the most important factors in halting the increasing price trend in recent months. According to predictions from the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, U.S. sanctions against Iran will lead to a significant reduction in Iran's economic growth rate to between negative 0.5 to negative 3.8 percent under optimistic and pessimistic scenarios.