Since the Islamic Revolution and the hostage-taking of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979, Iran has been living under economic sanctions whose intensity varies according to the confrontational policies of the two countries. In 2015, the Vienna Agreement, signed by the Islamic Republic, the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China and Russia, generated an unprecedented wave of hope: Iran renounced acquiring nuclear weapons in exchange for the partial lifting of the embargo. Less than three years later, in May 2018, the Trump administration announced its unilateral withdrawal from the agreement and the reinstatement of sanctions, which had been tightened over the months. Cornered, Iran broke away from its commitments to force its partners to react.