Esfandyar Batmanghelidj

What Iran Needs is a New Social Revolution — Bourse & Bazaar Foundation Alongside their political rights, Iranians are demanding economic opportunity and social dignity.

More great analysis on Iran’s economy from @yarbatman.bsky.social.

Russie : les sanctions n’ont pas détruit l’industrie de Poutine Après plus de trois ans de sanctions contre Moscou, il faut se rendre à l’évidence : l’effondrement de l’industrie russe n’a pas eu lieu. En frappant les usines sur le territoire ennemi, l'Ukraine p...

Après plus de trois ans de sanctions, l’effondrement industriel russe n’a pas eu lieu.

En ciblant les usines ennemies, l'Ukraine «sanctionne par drones» — seule manière de déjouer la cannibalisation industrielle.

@yarbatman.bsky.social explique cette résilience.
legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/11/2...

Thanks for the kind words!

Why Sanctions on Iran 'Snapped Back' Podcast Episode · The Sanctions Age · S2, E10 Bonus · 1h 15m

This is by far the most thoughtful discussion about the failed diplomacy around Iran’s nuclear program. Reflective and careful, unlike so much of the hot air, vibes, and guess work we are offered. Thanks @yarbatman.bsky.social

Bonus - The Death of the Iran Deal w/
@yarbatman.bsky.social

Esfandyar Batmanghelidj is back on the show with Derek to break down how the Iran nuclear deal broke down, and where things go from here.

Link below ⤵️

The Iranian people were starting to win their battle for liberty and prosperity. Then Israel attacked | Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Something was shifting in Iran, but now missiles and the return of foreign interference may tear up the green shoots of progress, says Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundatio...

'[Iran] was moving in a better direction, pushed and pulled by 90 million souls yearning for greater security, prosperity and liberty ... Israel’s attacks demonstrate a contempt not just for life, but also a contempt for the agency and aspirations of the Iranian people.' - @yarbatman.bsky.social

The Iranian people were starting to win their battle for liberty and prosperity. Then Israel attacked | Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Something was shifting in Iran, but now missiles and the return of foreign interference may tear up the green shoots of progress, says Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundatio...

The Iranian people were starting to win their battle for liberty and prosperity. Then Israel attacked.

@yarbatman.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Iranian people were starting to win their battle for liberty and prosperity. Then Israel attacked | Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Something was shifting in Iran, but now missiles and the return of foreign interference may tear up the green shoots of progress, says Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundatio...

"Israel’s attacks demonstrate a contempt not just for life, but also a contempt for the agency and aspirations of the Iranian people. They did not want this war and they were pushing their leaders to avoid it."

Important read from my friend @yarbatman.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Iranian people were starting to win their battle for liberty and prosperity. Then Israel attacked | Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Something was shifting in Iran, but now missiles and the return of foreign interference may tear up the green shoots of progress, says Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundatio...

It’s neither far fetched nor conspiratorial to consider that ultimately, *this* is the underlying reason Netanyahu chose to strike now:

The Iranian people were starting to win their battle for liberty and prosperity. Then Israel attacked. @yarbatman.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Could Iranian Nukes Be a Business Opportunity for the U.S.? The Iranian foreign minister dangles U.S. investment in reactors as a win-win.

This is a great piece from @veenaa.bsky.social on the prospects for civil nuclear cooperation between the US and Iran. For a new US-Iran deal to be transformative, it will require the two sides to find areas for deep technical cooperation, like nuclear energy.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/22/i...

On streets of Tehran, Iranians describe daily struggles and cautious hopes Washington Post interviews with people across Tehran offered a rare window into the lives and economic frustrations of the country’s urban middle class.

Spoke to @sgreports.bsky.social about why Iran’s leaders are pursuing nuclear talks even if they believe they can “resist” Trump’s maximum pressure.

It’s the pace of development that matters. Under sanctions, Iran is being left behind by its regional peers.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

The Trump administration has issued GL 25, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria in a single executive action.

This is an extraordinary move. USG has historically approached sanctions relief with complicated, incremental methods.

This one big step could make a big difference.

Many thanks to @boursebazaar.bsky.social ( @yarbatman.bsky.social and Henna Moussavi) for publishing!

Sanctions Relief Won't Suffice for Syria’s Teetering Economy — Bourse & Bazaar Foundation To rebuild Syria’s broken economy, Western policymakers must treat the moment of sanctions relief as an entry point, not an endpoint.

Trump’s promise to lift sanctions gave Syrians hope for relief in a dire economy. But lifting sanctions is just the first step towards rebuilding Syria. As Nancy Ezzeddine writes, policymakers must see sanctions relief as “an entry point, not an end point.”
www.bourseandbazaar.org/articles/202...

William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95

Bill Luers was a fundamentally optimistic diplomat and I admired him for it.

He once told me that optimism is what kept him in his profession "for so many decades." It is also what drove his remarkable work on US-Iran relations.

He will be missed.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/u...

Afghan Authorities Accelerate Push for Road and Rail Projects — Bourse & Bazaar Foundation As the Taliban government pursues an assertive policy to enhance Afghanistan’s logistical infrastructure, interest in the country’s role as a southern transit hub is gaining momentum across West Asia.

As the Taliban tries to attract foreign investment, it's pitching Afghanistan as a regional transit hub.

In this analysis for @boursebazaar.bsky.social, Nargiza Umarova looks at the range of road and rail projects being pursued by Afghanistan's neighbors.
www.bourseandbazaar.org/articles/202...

How Trump Can Strike Gold for America in Iran — Bourse & Bazaar Foundation Trump loves gold. If he remains pragmatic and focused when it comes to Iran, he could strike gold in several ways.

My thoughts on how the US and Iran can make deeper economic relations a cornerstone of a new nuclear deal.

Iran presents a unique opportunity for Trump. It is a major economy with which the US could run large and persistent trade surpluses.
www.bourseandbazaar.org/articles/202...

How Trump Can Strike Gold for America in Iran — Bourse & Bazaar Foundation Trump loves gold. If he remains pragmatic and focused when it comes to Iran, he could strike gold in several ways.

Iran is a uniquely large and open market for American exporters—perhaps the last major economy in the world where the US could reasonably overtake China as an industrial partner.

My reflections on how a new nuclear deal can be a *business* deal for Trump:
www.bourseandbazaar.org/articles/202...

Iraq Begins to Adjust to Syria’s Post-Assad Reality — Bourse & Bazaar Foundation Iraqi leaders must assess if their new Syrian counterparts can be reliable partners and whether deeper political and economic cooperation can be pursued.

Iraq's Sudani met with Syria's al-Sharaa today.

The meeting marks the latest step as Iraq begins to adjust its Syria policy, cautiously extending a hand to the new leadership in Damascus.

Francesco Schiavi details the factors shaping Iraq's Syria policy.
www.bourseandbazaar.org/articles/202...

On the @dropsitenews.com podcast with @mazmhussain.bsky.social about…

The president’s unchecked authority to start economic wars

The dangerous way US economic policy is now a subset of national security policy

The impact of Trump’s tariffs on de-dollarization

www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-decl...

Prospects for Syrian Civil Society Remain Dim While Sanctions Linger — Bourse & Bazaar Foundation Without tangible sanctions relief, Syrian civil society organisations will struggle to play a meaningful role in the country’s constitutional reform, local governance, or transitional justice efforts.

Last month, @boursebazaar.bsky.social convened Syrian civil society actors, sanctions experts, and European officials for an important workshop.

In this piece, my colleague Nancy Ezzeddine explains what was discussed and why Syria must remain a priority.
www.bourseandbazaar.org/articles/202...

Iran leader open to US investment in win for Trump Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that American "investors are welcome to invest in our country."

Spoke to @amirdaftari.bsky.social about the US-Iran talks.

I explained that Iran is looking at recent moves by the US administration, such as the critical minerals deal pushed on Ukraine, and recognizing that Trump wants a business deal, not just a nuclear deal.
www.newsweek.com/iran-leader-...

NEW SEASON: The Sanctions Age podcast is back!

I'll be speaking with amazing guests, including Eddie Fishman, Golnar Motevalli, Kyle Chan, Erich Ferrari, and Eva Dou.

Subscribe to the newsletter to make sure you don't miss the new episodes.
www.thesanctionsage.com/p/the-sancti...

Opinion | Iran’s foreign minister: The ball is in America’s court Iran is ready for indirect negotiations with the United States. A solution to the crisis is within reach.

When the Iranian FM describes Iran's economy as a "trillion-dollar opportunity" for US companies, he's cribbing from a 2016 McKinsey Global Institute report.

MGI concluded Iran had "the potential to add $1 trillion to GDP and create 9 million jobs by 2035."
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Until recently, everyone was concerned about the unrivaled US capacity to wage economic war, but a minority of countries were targeted.

Now Trump is waging economic war on everyone.

The global response to US economic coercion is no longer limited by a collective action problem.

In Q2 2015, just 21,000 electric or hybrid cars were sold in China. This was the equivalent of 0.4% of all cars sold that quarter.

In Q4 of last year, 4.5 million of these cars were sold, the equivalent of 46% of all automobile sales.

From 0% to 50% in just 10 years...

25. Doing so allows China to focus on the real and tangible bounds of domestic industry, developing technologies and supply chains that augment its hard power.

The US has confused money with capital. The money may stay American.

The capital will be Chinese.

24. If the US wishes to limit the domain of economic competition with China to the imaginary and intangible bounds of global finance, focusing on currencies and reserves, China will abide.

23. That's not an outcome China wants!

So it makes sense for China slow roll de-dollarization, lulling the US into a false sense of security. They will tinker with anti-dollar policies, but will remain enmeshed in the global dollar system to give the impression of containment.

22. Were China to more assiduously pursue anti-dollar policies, and if these policies led to a weakening of the global position of the dollar, it might actually jolt US officials out of their self-delusion that they can "beat" China with economic weapons.