WASHINGTON — A new study published this week by the National Iranian American Council argues that the various trade sanctions the United States has maintained on Iran for more than a decade actually hurt the American economy.
The council, a US-based organization that pushes for a peaceful resolution of differences between Washington and Tehran, calculated that between 1995 and 2012, the United States has forfeited between $135 billion and $175 billion in export revenue as a consequence of not doing business with Iran.
The council's researchers used an econometric gravity model to gauge the losses faced by the United States and European Union member nations as they enforced sanctions on Iran, which many governments suspect is moving toward building a nuclear weapon. The study found that not only have sanctions deprived the United States and EU countries export revenue, but they also cost them jobs.
Some expressed doubt about the importance of the findings. A Treasury Department spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal that such a cost was ''well worth bearing, particularly when faced with the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon.'' She added that the mooted figure of $175 billion reflects only 1 percent of US exports in that period.