Sanctions are very cruel and usually unnecessary punishment

David Satterfield, a former US ambassador in the Middle East, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Iran's government has been

"unable to provide the basics of life .... water, fuel, electricity, and food at rates that is affordable - not just by lower economic classes, but by the upper and upper-middle classes as well."

"The regime doesn't have the resources to address the sources of the protests.

"If it is about cultural events as in [the protests in] 2022 the regime can - and did - relieve the sanctions on women, the dress codes ease, the covering of hair was no longer enforced by religious police.

"But if what you are after here is a living wage, a non-depreciating currency, fuel, electricity, water - that is not something the regime can easily pivot to."

The regime cannot provide the basics of life because of sanctions, of course. I think sanctions acceptable against Russia, but very cruel and unjustified against any other countries, such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, North Korea. They also seem useless but now finally sanctions might be achieving the effect desired by Washington (and Jerusalem).