As demonstrators flood Iranian streets in ongoing protests which started late last month, United States President Donald Trump has threatened military intervention, arguing that he wants to “help” protesters.
He wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” He has since echoed those sentiments in other public statements.
But ignored in his claims of wanting to help Iranians is a fact: decades of US-led sanctions against Iran, including ones that were toughened under Trump, have played a central role in the country’s economic crises that were the primary trigger for the current spate of protests.
We unpack the impact of US sanctions on Iran and whether its track record in the country has been one of helping people.
What is going on in Iran?
The protests in Iran started from Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on December 28, 2025, after the rial plunged to a record low against the US dollar. Shopkeepers shuttered their businesses to rally against rising prices in Iran.
The protests have since spread to other provinces and have snowballed into a broader challenge to the country’s leadership.
On Monday, the rial was trading at more than 1.4 million to the US dollar, a sharp decline from about 700,000 in January 2025 and approximately 900,000 in mid-2025.
The plummeting currency has triggered steep inflation, with food prices 72 percent higher than last year on average.