Sanctions help, not hurt, Iran’s people 11/16/2017 9:26:00 AM Tehran - The main market of Tehran By Tim Ghaemi The Denver Post, November 15, 2017  - Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iranian regime received tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief, plus the promise of new business from a variety of Western companies. Some people see this as a triumph of diplomacy which will improve the lives of the Iranian people, and engender good will. A common argument against economic sanctions is that that the private sector and a nation’s citizenry should not suffer as a result of the actions of the government. The problem with this argument as it applies to Iran’s ruling theocracy is that there effectively is no private sector in Iran. In reality, the regime’s “privatization scheme” to create the appearance of a growing private sector primarily entails the transfer of state assets into the hands ...