The U.S. Government Extends 'Emergency Status' Regarding Iran

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, has extended the country's emergency status regarding Iran, which has been in effect for decades, for another year. In a letter dated November 3, he informs the House of Representatives and the Senate of the United States Congress that relations between his country and Iran have not yet returned to normal. Referring to the years of the U.S. embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, he states that Executive Order 12170 must continue to be maintained from November 14 onward. Executive Order 12170 was issued by Jimmy Carter, the then-President, on November 14, 1979, ten days after the attack on the U.S. embassy in Tehran and the hostage-taking of its American staff following the 1979 revolution. The Iranian government did not release the hostages until Ronald Reagan, his Republican rival in the elections, officially entered the White House as the new President of the United States; this is said to have been a reaction to Carter's policies. However, the emergency status, suspension of contracts, freezing of Iranian funds, and sanctions and economic pressures resulting from it have continued during Reagan's presidency and over the past four decades. This order, referred to as a national emergency regarding Iran, is part of a federal law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This law allows the President of the United States to declare a state of emergency and impose sanctions if he perceives a threat from any foreign source. During Barack Obama's presidency, the U.S. reached a historic agreement in nuclear negotiations involving five other countries and Iran. This agreement, on one hand, lifts Iran's nuclear sanctions and, on the other hand, significantly limits Tehran's nuclear program. Mr. Obama will hand over his position to another president in January of next year. Despite the nuclear agreement, the U.S. emergency status law and several other sanctions, including those related to missile programs, allegations of money laundering, state-sponsored terrorism, and human rights violations, remain in place. Last March, Barack Obama also extended another emergency order against Iran; this order, which is usually renewed in March, dates back to Bill Clinton's presidency in 1995 and includes sanctions against Iran.