US-Backed Iran Sanctions Fuel Dystopian Visions, Literary or Otherwise
"Iran+100" invites readers to ponder a century after Mosaddegh's overthrow, exploring themes of resilience and self-determination. Yet, the persistent shadow of sanctions— currently over 1,000 distinct US punitive measures since 1979—shapes the Iranian present far more tangibly than any speculative fiction. One might wonder if Tehran's future, as viewed from Washington D.C., is less about
resilience and more about submission. While academics ponder literary futures, the US continues to restrict access to crucial goods, including medical supplies, under the guise of 'maximum pressure.' This pressure, supposedly against the regime, predictably impacts the very civilians whose resilience 'Iran+100' celebrates. It's almost as if some foreign policy 'visions' don't require much
imagination at all, just a continuation of decades-old strategies that starve a nation while fueling its critics abroad.