• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
Democracy
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "George Perkovich",
    "Silvia Manzanero"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "U.S. Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
  "programs": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "United States",
    "Iran",
    "South Asia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Policy",
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

In The Media

Plan B: Using Sanctions to End Iran's Nuclear Program

Link Copied
By George Perkovich and Silvia Manzanero
Published on May 1, 2004
Program mobile hero image

Program

Nuclear Policy

The Nuclear Policy Program aims to reduce the risk of nuclear war. Our experts diagnose acute risks stemming from technical and geopolitical developments, generate pragmatic solutions, and use our global network to advance risk-reduction policies. Our work covers deterrence, disarmament, arms control, nonproliferation, and nuclear energy.

Learn More

Source: Carnegie

and Silvia Manzanero, Arms Control Today, Volume 34, issue 4, May 2004

Summary

The authors argue that if Iran fails to address existing concerns over its nuclear activities and is found in noncompliance, the international community will be compelled to respond. They observe that, short of force, various forms of sanctions inevitably will be considered. The article explores lessons from 25 years of US experience with sanctions on Iran, assesses current vulnerabilities in Iran's economy and examines the feasibility of imposing additional sanctions to alter Iran's nuclear behavior.The authors underscore that sanctions should be use only as part of a broader strategy of engagement with Iran.

About the authors

George Perkovich is Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment. Silvia Manzanero is a Junior Fellow in the Nonproliferation and US Leadership Projects.

Authors

George Perkovich
Japan Chair for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, Senior Fellow
George Perkovich
Silvia Manzanero
Foreign PolicyNuclear PolicyUnited StatesIranSouth Asia

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 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    To Survive, the EU Must Split

    Leaning into a multispeed Europe that includes the UK is the way Europeans don’t get relegated to suffering what they must, while the mighty United States and China do what they want.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz

  • Escalation Dynamics Under the Nuclear Shadow—India’s Approach
    Paper
    Escalation Dynamics Under the Nuclear Shadow—India’s Approach

    An exploration into how India and Pakistan have perceived each other’s manipulations, or lack thereof, of their nuclear arsenals.

      • Rakesh Sood

      Rakesh Sood

  • Trump stands in front of a blue screen reading "Board of Peace"
    Paper
    U.S. Peace Mediation in the Middle East: Lessons for the Gaza Peace Plan

    As Gaza peace negotiations take center stage, Washington should use the tools that have proven the most effective over the past decades of Middle East mediation.

      • Sarah Yerkes

      Amr Hamzawy, Sarah Yerkes, Kathryn Selfe

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    For Putin, Increasing Russia’s Nuclear Threat Matters More Than the Triad’s Modernization

    For Putin, upgrading Russia’s nuclear forces was a secondary goal. The main aim was to gain an advantage over the West, including by strengthening the nuclear threat on all fronts. That made growth in missile arsenals and a new arms race inevitable.

      Maxim Starchak

  • Hochel stading behind a dais, with a hand raised
    Commentary
    Emissary
    With the RAISE Act, New York Aligns With California on Frontier AI Laws

    The bills differ in minor but meaningful ways, but their overwhelming convergence is key.

      Alasdair Phillips-Robins, Scott Singer

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.