Many Iranians feel they are being unjustly targeted, especially as bans on educational collaboration and testing for studies abroad take effect.
Tehran, Iran – When the United States threatened an “economic D-Day” for Iran, announcing a series of new sanctions against Tehran, President Donald Trump’s administration said it was seeking to cripple its adversary economically.
To many Iranians, though, the latest measures also appear targeted at them, rather than the Iranian government and its leadership.
Like previous waves of sanctions imposed by the US and its allies on Iran, the latest measures again disproportionately impact the country’s civilian population. And one sector in particular appears poised to take a major hit: education.
Previous sanctions have contributed to making Iranians poorer by triggering a currency collapse, leading to surging food and medicine prices. They have financially isolated Iranians through blocked bank transfers and digital exclusion through restricted software, cloud services and platforms. The US travel ban, which counts Iran among its primary targets, has dashed countless dreams.
But the latest steps go one step further, and come at a time when the Iranian government has also ramped up domestic pressure.
