Truthout
Iran
![Michael Bolton adjusts his glasses while on stage](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/06/2020_0617-michael-bolton-400x300.jpg)
It’s Trump vs. Bolton, and I’m Rooting for a Meteor
Sun Tzu said, “If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.” I’m still waiting.
![President Donald Trump attends a signing ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, United States on December 20, 2019.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1189676443-400x300.jpg)
Trump Boosts Nuclear Weapons Spending, Fueling a New Arms Race
Two reports highlight the soaring cost of nuclear weapons and the dangers of U.S. nuclear policy under Trump.
![A soldier carries a large bag of food](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/05/2020_0522usaid-400x300.jpg)
The US Has a Long History of Weaponizing Aid to Other Countries
There is a covert U.S. strategy in which humanitarian aid is weaponized not by withholding it, but by providing it.
![Demonstrators hold signs demanding their church to reopen, protest during a rally to reopen California and against stay-at-home directives on May 1, 2020, in San Diego, California.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/05/2020_0519-open-church-protest-400x300.jpg)
Religious Fundamentalism Impairs COVID-19 Response Across Nations
Whether in the U.S. or Iran, fundamentalist religion often made for bad public policy during the first wave of COVID-19.
![A person in a hazmat suit looks down upon a mass grave in despair](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/04/2020_0415-iran-400x300.jpg)
COVID-19 Is Exposing the Violence of US Foreign Policy as Virus Spreads
COVID-19 has begun to wreak its havoc in Iraq, Syria and Yemen – nations harmed by U.S. wars and economic sanctions.
![Doctors from the Cuban Medical Mission carry out rapid tests for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on employees of the metro in Caracas, Venezuela. Trump’s intensification of sanctions against Venezuela and Iran during a pandemic constitutes a crime against humanity.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/04/2020_0414-venezuela-covid-19-400x300.jpg)
Intensifying Sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, Trump Is Weaponizing Coronavirus
Trump’s intensification of sanctions against Venezuela and Iran during a pandemic constitutes a crime against humanity.
![A woman's body temperature is measured in Qom, Iran, on March 17, 2020, after the death toll in Iran from the novel coronavirus outbreak rose to 988.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0319-iran-covid-19-400x300.jpg)
Economists Demand Trump Immediately Lift Iran, Cuba, Venezuela Sanctions
Experts warn that economic warfare is feeding the coronavirus pandemic by hampering nations' capacity to respond.
![An Iranian firefighter disinfects a street in Tehran, Iran, in a bid to halt the wild spread of coronavirus on March 13, 2020.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0318-iran-covid-19-400x300.jpg)
US Economic Sanctions Exacerbate Toll of Coronavirus in Iran
Sanctions are preventing Iranians from importing necessary medicine and medical equipment.
![Iranian Firefighters disinfect streets in the capital Tehran in a bid to halt the wild spread of coronavirus on March 13, 2020.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/GettyImages-1206923947-400x300.jpg)
To Help Stem Coronavirus, Lift Sanctions on Iran
Humanitarian aid was supposed to be exempt from sanctions, but that hasn’t been the case.
![Iranian voters check the voters list during the 11th Parliamentary elections at Hosseiniyeh Ershad polling station in Tehran, Iran, on February 21, 2020.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0305-iran-vote-400x300.jpg)
Trump’s Harsh Iran Policy Helped Hardliners Win Iran’s Elections
Reformists who advocate closer ties with the U.S. were eliminated as a significant parliamentary force.