Islamic Republic of Iran

Sanctions on Iran have squeezed the economy since the 1970s, and since US President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal, they have been ratcheting up. Some Iranians are ready to cut and run but others are waiting out the economic storm.

Diplomacy is often awkward, stymied by translators, late nights and unsecured yurt communication (yes, that really happened). But diplomacy can also stop a war, as years of secret and not-so-secret negotiations between the US and Iran proved when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was reached in 2015.

The US has told five countries that they must stop buying Iranian oil. But China may continue to import Iranian crude, despite Washington’s protests.

2013 was a historic year in US-Iran relations. For the first time in 34 years leaders of the two countries spoke on the phone.

For years, PSA — the company that makes Peugeot and Citroen cars — got around the Iranian embargo by selling Tehran what it called car “kits.” But it pulled the plug last year, under growing pressure to honor the embargo. PSA is now struggling and letting workers go. An Iran deal might just change that.