What are all the sanctions Iran is under?

Iran is currently subject to a dense web of sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and a host of other nations, making it one of the most heavily sanctioned states worldwide. The latest UN action came in September 2025 when France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the “snapback” clause of Security Council Resolution 2231, re‑activating six earlier resolutions that target Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, its conventional arms trade, and its financial networks. In parallel, the United States rolled out a fresh sanctions package through the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, extending a broad trade embargo that covers most Iranian imports and exports, secondary sanctions that punish foreign firms dealing in sectors ranging from digital assets to aviation, sector‑specific bans on energy and shipping, and human‑rights and terrorism designations that freeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets held in U.S. institutions. The EU, UK and other allies maintain complementary regimes that prohibit the supply of nuclear‑related technology, restrict oil and petroleum trade, freeze bank accounts, and bar the sale of arms and dual‑use goods, while also targeting individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other repressive entities.

The core purpose of these overlapping measures is to choke Iran’s ability to fund and advance its nuclear enrichment, ballistic‑missile development and regional military activities, while also pressuring the regime over documented human‑rights violations. UN sanctions specifically ban the transfer of conventional weapons, prohibit the sale of materials that could aid uranium enrichment or missile production, and freeze assets of individuals and entities tied to prohibited programmes. U.S. sanctions broaden the scope by applying secondary penalties to any foreign party that engages in trade or financing with Iran across a wide array of sectors, effectively isolating Tehran from the global financial system and deterring third‑party involvement. European and British sanctions echo these goals, adding bans on dual‑use exports, maritime and aviation services, and imposing asset freezes on banks and firms deemed complicit in proliferation or terrorism, thereby tightening economic pressure from multiple fronts.

The cumulative effect of these regimes is a severely constrained Iranian economy, with oil exports—once the country’s fiscal lifeline—largely blocked and key industries such as shipping, petrochemicals, metals and technology facing chronic shortages. Frozen assets in Western banks amount to billions of dollars, limiting Tehran’s access to hard currency and complicating any attempts to fund its strategic projects. Countries that have adopted their own versions of the sanctions, including Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, further narrow the avenues for Iran to circumvent restrictions. While the sanctions aim to compel compliance with international nuclear agreements and improve human‑rights conditions, they also risk deepening Iran’s economic hardship and could push the regime toward alternative partnerships, potentially reshaping regional dynamics and influencing future diplomatic negotiations.

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