The Media Coverage of Sanctions and Its Implications
On 19 February 2020, Iran announced its first two cases of COVID-19. Within a month, Iran’s health ministry has reported a death toll climbing to 1,284 and one person dying from it every 10 minutes and 50 becoming infected every hour (Mohammed). The patients that are dying and suffering under COVID-19 are only the most recent ones impacted by the sanctions. Iranians with rare diseases or conditions that require specialized treatment, such as leukemia, epidermolysis bullosa, epilepsy, and chronic eye injuries have long been severely impacted. Despite the rising numbers in Iran, the United States imposed new sanctions in March, arguing that its “maximum pressure” campaign does not stop the flow of humanitarian goods, and is only designed to terrorist activities. This paper argues that the U.S. justifies the sanctions by labeling the Iranian regime as "terrorist," covering up the fact that sanctions have historically been an imperial design used to bring down legitimate governments and set up vassal states, and that U.S. sanctions on Iran are a violent, total war and a crime against humanity.