What Does $7 Billion Actually Mean to Iran?

One of the four emerging myths about the Iran-P5+1 deal has reached a fever pitch. Turn on basically any network news channel and you’ll hear it propagated again and again: Iran got too much sanctions relief!

People are even saying this deal asked too much of the P5+1 and too little of Iran, when really the opposite is true. Here’s Ankit Panda and Zachary Keck in The Diplomat explaining what that $7 billion really means to Iran.

Altogether, the White House estimates that this amounts to between US$6 billion and US$7 billion in sanctions relief for Iran over the six month period, although the higher figure appears to incorporate the humanitarian aid and the spare parts for Iran’s civilian aircraft. Under the current sanctions regime, Iran loses about US$5 billion each month in oil sales alone, with an unknown additional loss from financial and other sanctions. Based on a 30 day month, this means Iran will be receiving at most about 36 days of relief from oil sanctions, despite freezing and in some cases rolling back its nuclear program for a period of 182.5 days.

Thirty-six days of modest financial benefit in exchange for freezing or rolling back the entirety of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.

Read more here and here.

8 thoughts on “What Does $7 Billion Actually Mean to Iran?”

  1. The $7billion dollars is a one day budget of Iranian government to function. The US and EU stool the Iraqi people's money so as the Libyan money by the billions, Iran is another story, Iran is more populated then Iraq or Libya, the Iranian middle class is the target set by EU popular cosmetic industry and EU car industry, while US is about airplane and oil industry part. $7 billon although is not much, but it will cover the Boeing costs to restart its parts manufacturing in California. EU have announced that they will ease their sanction and release som Iranian assets by December, there where the Iranian money is and for European elite of right wing liberals is a good news, they can save more, via new austerities, for the rich and the kings and queens and off sure companies and bankers will get their bonuses raised by million or two. The entire Iranian deal is about EU and US economy, few weeks back the WH had a meeting with the bankers ordering them to release the Iranian money $7 billion at time, non of these regimes, even the right wing European social democrats give a damn about the humanity aspects of the matter involving these sanctions. These people think more about their pocket money, or they are there to promote Israeli apartheid or the Saudis tyrant then anything els.

  2. So the next time Human Rights Watch comes out with a report that’s critical of Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians, I’ll assume that you’re going to be saying the same thing, correct; that you think that the report is credible, it’s based on eyewitness accounts?

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