Speaking at the Pentagon Secretary of Defense Robert Gates lauded the UN sanctions against Iran, saying they had been “more effective and more severe” than anyone had expected.
Exactly how this is the case is unclear, as Secretary Gates’ only specific comments were that the sanctions “provided a legal platform” for even harsher sanctions in the future. Yet this is hardly a surprise. What then did the sanctions really accomplish?
Seemingly very little. It appears to have done damage to Iran’s civilian economy, weakened the opposition, and given well connected firms within Iran a number of new business opportunities in circumventing the sanctions.
