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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.

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By Karim Sadjadpour
Published on Nov 24, 2014
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Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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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
    What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now

      Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

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    How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps

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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.

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