I was looking for some good charts but this BBC piece does most the work for me. As a result of the sanctions, Iran's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted an estimated 4.8% in the 2018 and is forecast to shrink another 9.5% in 2019 , according to the International Monetary Fund. The unemployment rate meanwhile rose from 14.5% in 2018 to 16.8% in 2019. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-middle-east-48119109 There's lots more horrible reading to be done. If you're an American NGO that stands against the current government you've talked to your bank about why it should give you your money. If your an Iranian hospital trying to buy medicine you've had trouble finding a bank to deal with you. My wife had venmo stop payment for an $8 Cubano sandwich because her topic line was Cuba, the payment was to the guy who sits at the desk next to her. Good luck venmoing someone in Iran. Your company must have a waiver from the Treasury. I bet it was a lot of paper shuffling to get it done.