Iran’s trade policy of Asianization and de-Europeanization under sanctions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find out whether under sanctions, Iran’s trade direction has shifted from Europe (trade policy of de-Europeanization) toward Asia (trade policy of Asianization). Design/methodology/approach The paper conducts three panel data estimations (FE, RE, and FMOLS) based on the gravity model approach for bilateral trade patterns between Iran-25 EU members and Iran-25 Asian countries over the period 2006-2013. Findings The empirical evidence indicates a significant negative effect of sanctions on Iran-EU bilateral trade, while it has a positive impact on trade between Iran and the Asian countries. These findings empirically confirmed that the imposition of various sanctions related to the Iran’s nuclear program has pushed the foreign trade policy of this country toward Asianization and away from Europeanization. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to examine the Iran’s trade policy changing under the imposition of sanctions related to its nuclear program.