Display featuring missiles and portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Khameni
Display featuring missiles and portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader KhameniReuters

The United States reimposed some economic sanctions on Iran this week—punitive measures promised by President Donald Trump when he pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May.

The sanctions are meant to pressure Tehran to curb its missile program and its involvement in conflicts around the Middle East.

But as with sanctions generally, the penalties are likely to inflict more pain on ordinary Iranians than on the regime itself.

Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian describes what it was like to live under the sanctions the United States imposed on Iran back in 2012. Rezaian covered Iran for the Post and spent 18 months in prison there on false charges of espionage.