EU moves to shield companies that trade with Iran from U.S. sanctions

Dec 6, 2018
A new electronic money-transfer system intends to "create some economic independence for European companies," one expert says.
Flags of the European Union member states hang inside the Council of the European Union's Lex building in Brussels.
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Oil prices might finally be perking up after a long tumble

Nov 12, 2018
Analysts didn’t anticipate the convergence of factors driving oil prices down. A record production of U.S. crude combined with increased pumping globally have created an unexpected surplus. Combine that with slowing global demand and President Donald Trump easing sanctions on Iran, and oil prices are in a slump. What will it take for OPEC to […]

Iranians struggle under weight of sanctions, drought

Aug 29, 2018
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urges government to work "day and night" on economic problems.
President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the Iranian Parliament in the capital Tehran, on August 28, 2018. - It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, with MPs demanding answers on unemployment, rising prices and the collapsing value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April.
ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Can the U.S. stop all oil exports from Iran?

Aug 8, 2018
The Trump administration looks to cut the Iranian economy from a key source of revenue. Analysts say past sanctions weren't totally able to do that.
An oil facility on Khark Island, on the shore of the Persian Gulf, in 2017.
ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Image

U.S. sanctions on Iran present foreign companies with dilemma

Aug 6, 2018
U.S. sanctions on Iran go into effect today. Back in 2015 when Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program, many U.S. sanctions were lifted. But President Donald Trump pulled out of the multinational agreement in May, and now the measures are back. What’s at stake for foreign companies? Click the audio player above to hear […]
A man takes a glance at a newspaper with a picture of US president Donald Trump on the front page, in the capital Tehran on July 31, 2018. - Iran's currency traded at a fresh record-low of 119,000 to the dollar today, a loss of nearly two-thirds of its value since the start of the year as US sanctions loom. 
ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Congress weighs changes to foreign investment oversight

May 21, 2018
The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act is likely headed for a vote in the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.
The flag of the People's Republic of China hangs next to an American flag in New York.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Our trade relationship with Iran in a nutshell

May 11, 2018
The pistachio industry has zigzaged along with our diplomatic relationship with Iran.
Iranian Mohammad Reza Saberi sits by a mound of pistachios in his shop in Rafsanjan, Iran. 
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why European business may try to skirt U.S. sanctions on Iran

May 9, 2018
With the end of the U.S. involvement in the Iran nuclear deal comes the return of U.S. sanctions. Those sanctions can affect companies in other parts of the world, because the U.S. can punish foreign companies that do deals with Iran if those companies also conduct business in the U.S. This, to put it mildly, […]

Germany: Business as usual with Iran

May 9, 2018
In Germany, officials are confident that the European leaders will broker a deal that avoids U.S. punishment.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas leaves after giving a statement on May 9, 2018 in Berlin after US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a landmark deal curbing Iran's nuclear program and reimposed crippling sanctions, defying European pleas and prompting international outcry. 
ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

Trump announces U.S. will exit nuclear accord with Iran

May 8, 2018
Trump’s decision means Iran’s government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what’s left of the deal.
President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2018. 
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images