Sanctions by the U.S. government against Iran have caused a multitude of problems for Iranian-Americans with ties to their home country even though Americans of Iranian origin are overwhelmingly opposed to the ruling regime in Iran.

 

For instance, Iranian-Americans have long sent money to relatives in Iran. But banking sanctions have closed off most of the legal ways to send remittances, forcing some to use methods not allowed under U.S. law. One such Iranian-American, Mahmoud Reza Banki, was convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison for facilitating remittances between families in the U.S. and Iran. He is currently appealing the verdict.

 

In another example, an Iranian-American was fined $30,000 by the Office of Foreign Assets Control for trying to invest in a catering business in Iran.

 

Other troubles for Iranians in the U.S. include having their banks accounts frozen just for checking their balances online while visiting Iran. Iranians who worked and retired in Iran, but then immigrated to the U.S. have found they can’t receive their pensions due to banking restrictions. And charity and relief organizations that have obtained a U.S. license to work on humanitarian projects in Iran have been dropped by their American banks. It is also forbidden to bring or send prescription medicines to relatives in Iran.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Iran Sanctions Backfire against Pro-Democracy Iranian-Americans (by Jamal Abdi, Huffington Post)

The Impact of U.S. Sanctions Against Iran on You (Asian Law Caucus) (pdf)