Planet Money

Book tour tickets and details here.The recent protests in Iran are about so many things. Human rights, corruption, freedom. But this time – they are also motivated by economic hardship. Hardship caused, in part, by US sanctions. The US has been sanctioning Iran in one way or another for 47 years. But sanctions, as a tool, only work some of the time, and US sanctions on Iran have not always conformed to what experts consider best practices.On today’s episode: What did US sanctions do to Iran's economy? How did they feed into the latest protests and crackdown in Iran? Sanctions are supposed to avert war, but how different from war are they?To learn more about the protests in Iran and the country’s history, check out our great friends at Throughline:Iran Protests ExplainedIran and the U.S., Part One: Four Days In AugustIran and the U.S., Part Two: Rules of EngagementIran and the U.S., Part Three: Soleimani’s IranSubscribe to Planet Money+Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podca