Trump Extends 'Emergency Status' Regarding Iran

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has renewed the country's 'emergency status' regarding Iran, which has been in effect since the U.S. embassy was seized in Tehran in 1979, for another year. This is the first time this order has been extended by Mr. Trump since he took office less than a year ago. Barack Obama and other U.S. presidents have issued extensions of this order over the past decades. According to Trump's November 15 order, published on the White House website, the national 'emergency status' regarding Iran is being extended 'based on Executive Order 12170' and 'to counter unusual and extraordinary threats to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.' The announcement states that 'our relationship with Iran has not yet returned to normal and the implementation of the agreements of January 19, 1981 with Iran is still ongoing.' The White House announcement emphasizes that Executive Order 12170 is distinct from the emergency status in Executive Order 12957, which was issued in March 1995. The extension of the order related to events following the revolution in Iran is also separate from the 1995 order, which was itself extended last January and is currently in effect. The second order was last extended by Barack Obama, one week before Trump was officially inaugurated. Executive Order 12170 was issued by the U.S. government under Jimmy Carter, the then-president, 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 refused to release the hostages until Ronald Reagan, Carter's Republican rival, officially began his presidency during the election. This action is said to have been a direct response to Carter's policies. Despite this, the emergency status, suspension of contracts, blocking access to Iran's financial assets, and the economic sanctions and pressures resulting from it have continued both during Reagan's presidency and over the past four decades. The national 'emergency status' regarding Iran is part of a federal law called 'International Emergency Economic Powers,' which allows the U.S. president to declare a state of emergency and impose sanctions if there is a perceived threat from any foreign source.