Reading: In today’s main reading, an article from the Iranian NourNews agency discusses the key challenges and opportunities in Iran’s foreign trade, along with suggested strategies for mitigating the impact of sanctions.
If time allows, students will also read and discuss a second article from the Tasnim News Agency, which examines how currency fluctuations influence foreign trade and the gross domestic product.
Listening: Video 1: This is an 11-minute short documentary from Voice of America Farsi about the history of the US sanctions on Iran.
Video 2: Another video from an educational-historical YouTube channel called Factorism, explaining the mechanism and discussing the effectiveness of American sanctions on Iran.
Subject of Conversation: The international sanctions on Iran: do they work? (تحریم های بین المللی علیه ایران: آیا آنها موثر هستند؟)
At the end of each lesson, the students are going to discuss with their instructor some topics of interest. This time the topic is going to be the influence of the embargoes on the foreign policy of Iran and its major goals. Attention will also be paid to recent developments, particularly the U.S. government’s approach during the presidency of Joe Biden, as well as the more recent shifts following the beginning of Donald J. Trump’s second term.
Homework:
- Please carefully read the full text of today’s article(s) and study the vocabulary.
- Watch both of videos about the sanctions on Iran, then choose one of them and write a short summary (around 200 words) outlining its main points. Be sure to use relevant political and economic vocabulary in your writing.
- Prepare for the next day’s discussion.
Vocabulary (Reading, First Article):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| تحلیل | tahlil | analysis |
| تجارت خارجی | tejārat-e xāreji | foreign trade |
| چالش | čāleš | challenge |
| تحریم | tahrim | sanction |
| نجات | nejāt | rescue, salvation |
| تراز تجاری | tarāz-e tejāri | balance of trade |
| وابستگی | vābastegi | dependency |
| در حالی که | dar hāli ke | while, whereas |
| سایه انداختن | sāye andāxtan | to cast a shadow |
| راهکار | rāhkār | solution, strategy |
| تنوع‌بخشی | tanavvo‘baxši | diversification |
| شرکا (مفرد: شریک) | šorakā (sing. šarik) | partners |
| کاهش | kāheš | decrease |
| آسیب‌پذیری | āsibpaziri | vulnerability |
| مد نظر قرار گرفتن | mad-e nazar qarār gereftan | to be taken into consideration |
| جاری | jāri | current, ongoing |
| صادرات | sāderāt | export |
| غیرنفتی | ƴeyr-e nafti | non-oil |
| میزان | mizān | amount, volume |
| واردات | vāredāt | import |
| تراز | tarāz | balance |
| ترکیب | tarkib | composition, combination |
| بر اساس | bar asās-e | based on |
| داده‌ها | dādehā | data |
| بانک مرکزی | bānk-e markazi | Central Bank |
| مرکز آمار | markaz-e āmār | Statistical Center |
| عمدتاً | ‘omdatan | mostly, primarily |
| کالاهای واسطه‌ای | kālāhā-ye vāsete’i | intermediate goods (producer goods) |
| کالاهای صنعتی | kālāhā-ye san‘ati | industrial goods |
| سهم (جمع: سهام) | sahm (pl. sahām) | share(s) |
| محصولات (مفرد: محصول) | mahsulāt (sing. mahsul) | products |
| مواد معدنی | mavād-e ma‘dani | mineral materials |
| مواد (مفرد: ماده) | mavād (sing. mādde) | substances, materials |
| هاب تجاری | hāb-e tejāri | trade hub |
| تسهیل | tashil | facilitation |
| بیش از حد | biš az hadd | excessive, too much |
| متنوع‌سازی | motanavve‘ sāzi | diversification |
| مواد اولیه | mavād-e avvaliye | raw materials |
| تجهیزات | tajhizāt | equipment |
| افزایش | afzāyeš | increase |
| کالاهای سرمایه‌ای | kālāhā-ye sarmāye’i | capital goods |
| تولید | toulid | production |
| در عین حال | dar ‘eyn-e hāl | at the same time |
| اقلام حساس | aqlām-e hassās | sensitive items/products |
| نوسانات (مفرد: نوسان) | navāsānāt (sing. navāsān) | fluctuations |
| نوسانات ارزی | navāsānāt-e arzi | currency fluctuations |
| نگاه داشتن | negāh dāštan | to keep, to maintain |
Vocabulary (Listening, Video 1):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| بهران | bohrān | crisis |
| قطع رابطه | qat‘-e rābete | cutting relations |
| تحریم‌های نفتی | tahrimhā-ye nafti | oil sanctions |
| وضع شدن | vaz‘ šodan | to be imposed |
| معاملات (مفرد: معامله) | mo‘āmelāt (sing. mo‘āmele) | transactions |
| محدودیت | mahdudiyyat | limitation, restriction |
| برنامه هسته‌ای | barnāme-ye haste’i | nuclear program |
| مرحله | marhale | stage, phase |
| مهار دوگانه | mahār-e dogāne | Dual Containment (U.S. policy) |
| اعمال شدن | e‘māl šodan | to be applied, to come into force |
| نه تنها ...، بلکه | na tanhā ..., balke | not only ..., but also |
| تحت تأثیر قرار دادن | taxt-e ta’sir qarār dādan | to influence, to affect (lit. to put under influence) |
| قابل مقایسه | qābel-e moqāyese | comparable |
| برنامه موشکی | barnāme-ye mušaki | missile program |
| ماجراجویی | mājarājuyi | adventurism |
| محور شرارت | mehvar-e šarārat | Axis of Evil |
| این وسط | in vasat | in this context, in the middle of this |
| کشتی حامل سلاح | kešti-ye hāmel-e selāh | warship (lit. weapon-carrying ship) |
| ارسال شدن | ersāl šodan | to be sent |
| امنیتی‌سازی | amniyyatisāzi | securitization |
| نومحافظه‌کار | noumohāfezekār | neoconservative |
| گنجانده شدن | gonjānde šodan | to be included |
| افشا | efšā | revelation, disclosure |
| تأسیسات | ta’sisāt | facilities |
| غنی‌سازی اتمی | γanisāzi-ye atomi | nuclear enrichment |
| فوانین (مفرد: قانون) | qavānin (sing. qānun) | laws |
| زیر پا گذاشتن | zir-e pā gozāštan | to violate, to trample underfoot |
| لذا | lezā | therefore |
| مهیا شدن | mohayyā šodan | to be prepared, to get ready |
| به نفع | be naf‘-e | in favor of |