Iran braced for fresh protests over sanctions

IRAN’S regime was last night bracing itself for fresh protests as Britain, France and Germany moved to reimpose sanctions over Tehran’s failure to meet nuclear obligations.

- By Marco Giannangeli DIPLOMATIC EDITOR

The so-called “E3” wrote to the United Nations Security Council, with the aim of triggering the snapback clause of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

This would restore UN sanctions lifted under the deal and further isolate Tehran from global markets.

Megan Sutcliffe, a senior analyst with the Sibylline strategic risk group, said of the “immediate” effects: “In the coming days, this will likely trigger significant currency valuation fluctuations in Iran due to the risks of UN sanctions being reapplied.

“That would represent a further blow to the Iranian economy, which is already really quite battered and under significant pressure.

“This is likely to cause goods shortages and supply chain disruption. And so, the risk of those shortages then triggering protests will be particularly high in major cities.”