Despite the expanded use of sanctions as a soft foreign policy tool in the post-Cold War era, there is yet little knowledge on the implications of this coercive tool in relation to justice, ethics and sustainability in destinations to which sanctions are applied. Using Iran as a case study and grounded in international relations and political science literature, this study used semi-structured interviews with tourism actors to assess the direct and indirect effects of sanctions on tourism with respect to justice, rights and sustainability. The informants suggested that sanctions have worsened mobility rights, rights to communication, and the economic and financial rights of tourism actors, thereby limited their capacity to contribute to inclusive and sustainable development. Distributive pressures within Iran arising from the sanction-driven economic disruption have clearly undermined the empowerment capacity of tourism to contribute to improve gender justice, thereby standing in opposition to the principles of justice and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, notions of justice and rights are uneven in space and time, with their application inherently dependent on its definition in particular contexts. By portraying new insights from the restrictions emanating from sanctions, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of a very popular instrument of foreign policy and its humanitarian and justice implications in destinations affected by sanctions.