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The impact of financial sanctions: The case of Iran

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  • Ghasseminejad, Saeed
  • Jahan-Parvar, Mohammad R.

Abstract

This study provides a detailed analysis of the impact of financial sanctions on publicly traded companies. We consider the effect of imposing and lifting sanctions on the target country’s traded equities and examine the differences in the reaction of politically connected firms and those without such connections. The paper focuses on Iran due to (1) its sizable financial markets, (2) imposition of sanctions of varying severity and duration on private and state-owned companies, (3) the significant presence of politically connected firms in the stock market, and (4) the unique event of the 2015 nuclear deal, resulting in fairly rapid lifting of a sizable portion of imposed sanctions. We find that sanctions affect politically connected firms more than ordinary firms, have lasting negative effects on profitability ratios, and that politically connected firms stock prices bounce back more slowly after removal of sanctions. Firms targeted by financial sanctions decrease their leverage and increase their cash holding to manage their perceived increase in risk profile.

Suggested Citation

  • Ghasseminejad, Saeed & Jahan-Parvar, Mohammad R., 2021. "The impact of financial sanctions: The case of Iran," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 601-621.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jpolmo:v:43:y:2021:i:3:p:601-621
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2021.03.001
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    Cited by:

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    3. Farzanegan Mohammad Reza & Batmanghelidj Esfandyar, 2023. "Understanding Economic Sanctions on Iran: A Survey," The Economists' Voice, De Gruyter, vol. 20(2), pages 197-226, December.
    4. Sajjad Faraji Dizaji & Mohammad Reza Farzanegan, 2024. "The Impact of US Trade Sanctions on the Global Trade of Target Countries: Do the Political Institutions of the Targets Matter?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10910, CESifo.
    5. Mohammad Aghapour Sabbaghi & Afsaneh Naeimifar, 2022. "Analysis of import substitution policy with an emphasis on environmental issues based on environmental input–output (EIO) model," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(12), pages 14130-14162, December.
    6. Iglesias, Emma M., 2022. "The influence of extreme events such as Brexit and Covid-19 on equity markets," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 418-430.
    7. Kamer-Ainur Aivaz & Ionela Florea Munteanu & Mari-Isabella Stan & Alina Chiriac, 2022. "A Multivariate Analysis of the Links between Transport Noncompliance and Financial Uncertainty in Times of COVID-19 Pandemics and War," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-23, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial sanctions; Capital structure; Event study; Political connections; Iran; National security;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • H56 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - National Security and War
    • F51 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Conflicts; Negotiations; Sanctions
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G39 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Other

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