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Targeting government officials is not really that feasible. Rich people will always find a way around sanctions for what they absolutely want to get from the US, and won't be affected otherwise.

The goal is not to somehow improve the country by motivating the population to do positive political change. The goal is economically damage the country to make it's strategic situation worse. This is done by harming the citizens of the country economically.

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If that is the goal is not working, otherwise Cuba, Iran, China, Russia, etc... would have change their political system after all these years of sanctions. At the end, we here in the US are supporting legalized discrimination against regular people, in some cases keeping them from getting access to medicines, technology, and other important resources. Is sad to say the least.

I think the goal of just making them weaker is working. Russia is weaker than before the sanctions, and Iran is even moreso.

But of course, the human cost is astronomical.

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