...Amid all the excitement over an Iran deal, there has been scant discussion of Iran’s dismal human rights record. The lifting of sanctions presents an opportunity not only for big profits, but gains in the country’s human rights standards. Foreign corporations, and the governments that regulate their activities both at home and abroad, stand to play a major role in attaching human right norms to the renewal of economic ties....

As a start, foreign investors looking to partner on tourism ventures can insist that any business relationship be conditioned on gender parity in the workplace...

...Companies seeking to invest in Iran’s oil and gas sector could qualify such deals on stringent environmental and labor standards. Investors exploring the potential for construction of hotels, shopping malls and retail chains, should link their investment to better rights protections for Afghan refugees, who are often tasked with this manual labor. And companies seeking to enter Iran’s telecommunications market must be apprised of the state’s monitoring of communications and use of this information in the repression of its citizenry, before making any decision to partner in this sector...

...Some states, like Namibia, Brazil and Japan, have already taken the initiative by incorporating discussion of Iran’s adherence to human rights standards in on-going bilateral talks concerning increased business and trade ties, and advising corporate actors within their jurisdictions accordingly...