Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Sanctions for change: On America’s policy towards Iran

Sanctions for change: On America’s policy towards Iran

U.S. policy toward Iran has done little to improve the lives of people

A year after the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly flouting (उल्लंघन करना) the country’s mandatory (अनिवार्य) hijab rules, anti-government protests seem to have lost their momentum. But the theocratic regime remains vulnerable (असुरक्षित) to more such shocks. The Islamic Republic, which is struggling with economic woes due to crippling (Causing severe damage or impairment; debilitating; making someone or something unable to function effectively) American sanctions, has witnessed a wave of protests, with a demand for reforms, and at times, regime change. The protests triggered (To initiate or set off a particular action, process, or event; to cause something to happen) by the custodial death of Amini had rattled (To make a series of sharp, quick noises, often causing a sense of disturbance or nervousness; to shake or vibrate rapidly) the regime initially, which had sent mixed signals on disbanding the infamous morality police force and altering (बदलना) the hijab laws. But it later recovered from the setbacks and tightened the crackdown (कानूनी कार्यवाही) on the protesters. According to rights organisations, more than 500 people, including 71 minors, have been killed in the unrest (अशांति) and hundreds wounded and arrested in the past year. Iran has also executed at least seven people linked to the protests. On the first anniversary of Amini’s death, there were reports of the security personnel detaining (रोकना) activists to prevent any kind of memorial events for the woman, whose name has emerged as a rallying cry for reforms and women’s freedoms in a country that has been tightly held by Shia Mullahs since the 1979 revolution.

The Biden administration of the United States has imposed a new set of sanctions on the first anniversary of Amini’s death, targeting officials in Iran’s security apparatus. President Joe Biden and other officials have repeatedly called out rights violations. But the U.S.’s policy towards Iran has its own problems. First, while the sanctions have hit the Iranian economy hard, inflaming resentment (नाराज़गी), they have done little in changing the behaviour of the regime. Second, when it comes to protecting its interests, Washington has chosen to engage with the Mullahs, irrespective of its rhetoric (वाक्चातुर्य, शब्दाडम्बर) over human rights. The U.S. and Iran are in an advanced stage of finalising a prisoner swap deal as part of which the U.S. would agree to transfer some $6 billion Iranian funds frozen in South Korean accounts to Qatar, which Tehran can tap for humanitarian purposes. Instead of this off-and-on hostility and engagement which is not helping the Iranian people, the West should adopt a more consistent policy of engagement and pressure to extract compromises from Iran in return for economic rewards. For the Mullahs, the recurring protests should serve as a reminder that a large section of the population has already turned hostile (शत्रुतापूर्ण) towards their reign. The protesters may not have attained a critical mass for now, but it may not remain so forever in a country with a history of radical revolutions if the underlying problems of economic crises, regime rigidity and lack of reforms are not addressed.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Flouting (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - उल्लंघन करना
English Meaning - Openly disregarding or violating a rule, law, or social convention; showing contempt or disrespect for authority.

2.Mandatory (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनिवार्य
English Meaning - Required by law or rules; obligatory; something that must be done.

3.Vulnerable (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असुरक्षित
English Meaning - Susceptible to harm, danger, or attack; easily wounded or hurt; lacking protection or defense.

4.Crackdown (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - कानूनी कार्यवाही
English Meaning - A severe and often forceful action taken to suppress or control a particular activity, typically by authorities or law enforcement.

5.Alter (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - बदलना
English Meaning - To make changes or modifications to something, typically to transform or adjust it in some way.

6.Unrest (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - अशांति
English Meaning - A state of dissatisfaction, disturbance, or agitation, often resulting from social or political issues; a lack of calm or peace.

7.Detain (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - रोकना
English Meaning - To keep someone in official custody, typically while awaiting a legal process or investigation; to delay or hold back.

8.Resentment (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - नाराज़गी
English Meaning - Bitter indignation or ill will be felt as a result of a real or perceived injustice, insult, or injury; a deep-seated feeling of anger and displeasure.

9.Rhetoric (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - वाक्चातुर्य, शब्दाडम्बर
English Meaning - The art or skill of using language effectively to persuade, influence, or impress; often characterized by elaborate or insincere language.

10.Hostile (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - शत्रुतापूर्ण
English Meaning - Showing unfriendly or aggressive behavior; antagonistic; opposed or resistant to something.

11.Rattle (Verb)

English Meaning - To make a series of sharp, quick noises, often causing a sense of disturbance or nervousness; to shake or vibrate rapidly.

12.Crippling (Adjective)

English Meaning - Causing severe damage or impairment; debilitating; making someone or something unable to function effectively.

13.Trigger (Verb)

English Meaning - To initiate or set off a particular action, process, or event; to cause something to happen.