30.01.2026 Lancet Correspondence on Extraterritorial Tariffs and Health Risks in Iran

A new Lancet correspondence by Mohammad Reza Farzanegan and Reza Majdzadeh discusses how extraterritorial tariffs on Iran, through overcompliance and risk aversion, restrict access to essential medicines and medical technology, thereby endangering public health.

Farzanegan and Majdzadeh highlight in their correspondence that not only formal trade restrictions, but especially overcompliance and risk-averse behavior by companies, banks, and logistics providers, further limit access to critical medical supplies. The authors argue that such measures should be treated as de facto interventions in public health and call for stronger international protective mechanisms.

The correspondence is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00102-9