The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– September 19, 2023; Day 472

Sanctions for change: On America’s policy towards Iran

U.S. policy toward Iran has done little to improve the lives of people

A year after the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly flouting (to refuse to obey or accept something) the country’s mandatory hijab rules, anti-government protests seem to have lost their momentum. But the theocratic (relating to or denoting a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god) regime remains vulnerable (weak and easy to hurt physically or emotionally) to more such shocks. The Islamic Republic, which is struggling with economic woes (the problems that somebody has) due to crippling (causing serious injuries or harm) American sanctions, has witnessed a wave of protests, with a demand for reforms, and at times, regime change. The protests triggered by the custodial death of Amini had rattled (to make somebody suddenly become worried) the regime initially, which had sent mixed signals on disbanding (to stop existing as a group; to separate) the infamous morality police force and altering the hijab laws. But it later recovered from the setbacks (a difficulty or problem that stops you progressing as fast as you would like) and tightened the crackdown (action to stop bad or illegal behaviour) on the protesters. According to rights organisations, more than 500 people, including 71 minors, have been killed in the unrest and hundreds wounded and arrested in the past year. Iran has also executed at least seven people linked to the protests. On the first anniversary of Amini’s death, there were reports of the security personnel detaining activists to prevent any kind of memorial events for the woman, whose name has emerged as a rallying (to (cause to) come together in order to provide support or make a shared effort) cry for reforms and women’s freedoms in a country that has been tightly held by Shia Mullahs since the 1979 revolution.

The Biden administration of the United States has imposed a new set of sanctions on the first anniversary of Amini’s death, targeting officials in Iran’s security apparatus (the set of tools, instruments or equipment used for doing a job or an activity). President Joe Biden and other officials have repeatedly called out rights violations. But the U.S.’s policy towards Iran has its own problems. First, while the sanctions have hit the Iranian economy hard, inflaming (provoke or intensify (strong feelings, especially anger) in someone) resentment (A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will), they have done little in changing the behaviour of the regime. Second, when it comes to protecting its interests, Washington has chosen to engage with the Mullahs, irrespective of its rhetoric (Using language effectively to please or persuade) over human rights. The U.S. and Iran are in an advanced stage of finalising a prisoner swap deal as part of which the U.S. would agree to transfer some $6 billion Iranian funds frozen in South Korean accounts to Qatar, which Tehran can tap for humanitarian purposes. Instead of this off-and-on hostility (very strong feelings against somebody/something) and engagement which is not helping the Iranian people, the West should adopt a more consistent policy of engagement and pressure to extract compromises from Iran in return for economic rewards. For the Mullahs, the recurring protests should serve as a reminder that a large section of the population has already turned hostile towards their reign (to be in charge of a business or an organization). The protesters may not have attained a critical mass for now, but it may not remain so forever in a country with a history of radical revolutions if the underlying problems of economic crises, regime rigidity and lack of reforms are not addressed.

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