• Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Middle East logoCarnegie lettermark logo
LebanonIran
{
  "authors": [
    "Karim Sadjadpour"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Economy",
    "Trade"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

What Might Happen After Iran Sanctions Are Lifted

The Iranian nuclear program can at best provide only two percent of Iran’s energy needs. It is an economic catastrophe when compared to the lost foreign investment, oil revenue, and sanctions.

Link Copied
By Karim Sadjadpour
Published on Nov 24, 2014

Source: Marketplace

The economic cost of Iran’s nuclear program, in terms of lost foreign investment, oil revenue, and sanctions is about $100 billion dollars, according to Carnegie’s Karim Sadjadpour. Speaking to the Marketplace, Sadjadpour said, “When you look at these enormous costs and you weigh it against what Iran’s nuclear program can really provide in terms of energy, it’s an economic catastrophe.”

“This is a nuclear program which can at best provide only two percent of Iran’s energy needs,” he said, “and in the process of building this nuclear program, they’ve cannibalized their main source of revenue, which is oil and gas.”

This interview originally aired on the Marketplace.

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

    Recent Work

  • Q&A
    Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?

      Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour

  • Q&A
    What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now

      Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour
Political ReformEconomyTradeMiddle EastIran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

  • Paper
    The Twilight of Oil in an Age of Uncertainty: From a Vicious to a Virtuous Cycle

    The global hydrocarbon order is changing. Economic diversification and developing productive economies have become essential for Middle Eastern and North African states, requiring them to address social and political challenges and rethink domestic, regional, and global settlements.

      • +1

      Nur Arafeh, Ishac Diwan, Hamza Meddeb, …

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Young and Restless in the Middle East

    In an interview, Mayssoun Sukarieh discusses youths in the region, and how they are being defined and reshaped.

      Yasmine Zarhloule

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Three Ruptures and the End of Pax Americana in the Middle East

    As the U.S. stumbles in its war with Iran, we are likely to see an acceleration of its disengagement from the region.  

      Michael Young

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Less of America is More

    Middle Eastern states should welcome an accelerated U.S. disengagement from their region. 

      Michael Young

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    A Strategic Disaster that Devalues U.S. Military Prowess

    In an interview, former ambassador Charles Freeman assesses the Trump administration’s war against Iran.

      Michael Young

Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East logo, white
  • Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.