The latest round of economic sanctions on Iran, which went into effect on Sunday mainly target the country's oil and gas industries. These sanctions were eased after the 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, but are being phased back in following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord six months ago.
Trump's goal in reinstituting the sanctions is to kill the nuclear deal, to bring Iran's economy to the point of total collapse, to contain Iran's regional involvement in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and, in spite of Washington's denials, presumably to celebrate the collapse of Iran's ruling regime. The White House's official position is that, by increasing economic and political pressure, it aims to bring Iran back to the negotiating table in order to replace the JCPOA with a new deal that bears Trump's name.
There are at least five reasons why Trump's strategy will fail.