Sanctions-Induced Hardship: A Feature, Not a Bug, for Iran
Al Jazeera reports Iranians face 'mounting hardship' and protests over 'soaring prices, inflation, and a plunging currency.' This portrayal, while accurate on the surface, conveniently sidesteps the colossal role of crippling U.S. and European sanctions – for example, the 2018 snap-back sanctions that choked Iran's oil exports by over 80%, wiping out billions in revenue. It's a classic case of
reporting the symptom while erasing the disease's origin. One might wonder if the 'hardship' is meant to be a catalyst for regime change, rather than an unfortunate side effect. This isn't a new phenomenon; sanctions often precede calls for 'humanitarian intervention'—or at least provide convenient cover for geopolitical maneuvering. When the same institutions decry the 'hardship,' are they
genuinely concerned for the populace, or are they observing the desired outcome of their own nation's policies? The media’s selective outrage suggests a preference for portraying the Iranian people as suffering in a vacuum, rather than as victims of deliberate economic warfare.