In a speech at Tufts University in Massachusetts, former hostage Jason Rezaian said, “We’ve spent 40 years putting real heavy penalties and sanctions on Iran. But it’s time for a rethink on how we approach these issues…. What you’re trying to do with economic sanctions is really to get people to rise up, and it never works. It’s much more effective to go after the people in power and their loved ones.” He said, “For a long time, we could make the argument that academia was supposed to be a safe haven and people should be able to come. But when ordinary Iranians are blocked from coming, then it’s a problem. I think we have to reassess how we approach punitive measures against countries that we’re at odds with, and do it in a way that is more directly targeting the bad actors themselves, and figure out ways to empower ordinary people.”
