US-Iran sanctions

Sanctions created a maritime network adept at concealing oil and ownership, but the blockade and military strikes have exposed its limits now that the tankers themselves have become targets

Tehran has gotten good at evading longstanding US sanctions, but the bigger it expands its shadow network, the more exposed and corrupt it becomes, weakening it in the long run

Beijing has plenty of leverage to deter Washington

A US naval blockade has disrupted Iran’s traditional trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz, forcing Tehran to rely on land, rail and Caspian corridors. Iran shares almost 6,000 km of land borders…

Intended as a means of avoiding future deadly conflagrations, nations' refusal to impose sanctions and targeted countries' ability to circumvent them made them ineffective in many cases