ISTO

Iran Sanctions & Trade Observatory (ISTO) is an independent research platform dedicated to monitoring and analyzing the impact of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its primary goal is to provide comprehensive insights into the effects of global regulatory frameworks on Iran's economy, trade, and geopolitical dynamics.

ISTO tracks developments in Iran’s economic activities, with a specific focus on sanctions regimes enforced by the United States (OFAC), the European Union, and the United Nations.

Key Objectives

• Monitoring Sanctions: Tracking the status and real-time impact of sanctions on Iran’s financial and trade sectors. This includes monitoring the UK's 2023 Iran Regulations and 2026 EU restrictive measures targeting energy and shipping.
• Trade Analysis: Analyzing trade flows and identifying entities that engage in business with Iran despite restrictions. The observatory examines how Iran maintains foreign trade through partners like China and India, particularly following the UN "snapback" sanctions of late 2025.
• Policy Insights: Offering data-driven recommendations for businesses navigating UK export controls and asset-freeze lists managed by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI).
• Strategic Research: Analyzing geopolitical shifts, such as EU-wide trade prohibitions and restrictions on dual-use goods linked to nuclear and ballistic programmes.

Impact and Utility

ISTO serves as a resource for policymakers, analysts, and academics. By bridging the gap between global regulatory changes and Iranian market dynamics, it provides a specialized lens into real-time geopolitical developments and Iranian judicial policy shifts.

On the 2026 Iran massacres

From ISTO on the 2026 Iran massacres:

“

The Numbers They Admit, and the Numbers They Conceal. Official state-affiliated sources have acknowledged approximately 36,500 deaths. Independent field reporting, hospital testimony, and burial documentation indicate 43,000 to 80,000, with credible estimates above 100,000 once unregistered deaths are accounted for. The discrepancy exists because: Many bodies never reached hospitals Many deaths were recorded under false causes victims were buried without documentation families were threatened into silence Medical records were altered or destroyed In authoritarian systems, official numbers are not measurements; they are political tools.

”

Official site

• Iransto

See also

• Sana Ebrahimi
• Darya Safai
• Iran Sanctions. State.gov

• Iran sanctions: guidance.Guidance on the Iran (Sanctions) Regulations 2023. gov.uk