In hopes of halting what NATO believes to be Iran’s attempts to create functioning atomic weapons, many sanctions have been imposed upon the country. However, according to the US Census Bureau, US exports to Iran have risen sharply despite strict sanctions. Specifically, 2012 exports have increased by 33% compared to 2011. While the total exports of certain goods have indeed fallen as expected, others such as medical supplies and dairy goods have more than doubled. The key export, almost solely responsible for the uncharacteristic rise, is wheat, appraised at $89.2 million and representing nearly half the total US exports to Iran. Wheat transactions are the first of their kind between the two countries since 2009 when drought hampered Iran’s crop production, and are seen as a strong indication that Iran anticipates large shortages of staple foods such as bread.
Sources
“Despite sanctions US exports to Iran jumps by third,” RT.com, October 15, 2012, http://rt.com/usa/news/us-iran-export-sanctions-504/
Emily Stephenson, “Iran buys US wheat despite nuclear tensions,” Reuters, March 1, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/01/usa-iran-wheat-idUSL2E8E13RZ20120301
Student researcher: Jordan Shapiro (College of Marin)
Faculty evaluator: Susan Rahman (College of Marin)