Ali

successfully got a bunch of other countries to join in.

And the U.S.

started to figure out how to isolate and cut off specifically Iran's financial system.

These new sanctions began in about 2010 and aimed to pressure Iran into abandoning its nuclear program.

And they tried to strike a delicate balance.

The U.S.

wanted to avoid war and to avoid hitting Iran with new sweeping oil sanctions because hurting its oil would hurt the global oil market, which could tank the U.S.

economy.

And U.S.

officials also peer pressured banks around the world to stop doing business with Iran.

The U.S.

Treasury says it engaged eventually with over 120 financial institutions and bank regulators in over 60 countries.

Basically saying, oh, look at that transfer you facilitated into that small random bank in Iran.

It actually went to fund terrorism.

Did you mean to do that?

Unfortunately, if you do it again, we will have to cut you off from any financial systems that interact with the dollar, which is to say almost all financial systems.

And these novel techniques worked to cut Iran off from the banking system.

Which is why by the time Yar was walking around those new malls, he could already kind of feel the effects of those sanctions.

Yar says some Iranians blamed the U.S.

for that, but many blamed their own government.