About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (August 7, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goveqhi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional I? search Se Informing ley I live d ~a ~ ii e 1914 Updated August 7, 2024 U.S. Sanctions on Iran Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the United States has used sanctions of various types as key tools of U.S. policy toward the government of Iran. The U.S. government uses sanctions to deter, constrain, and encourage change in the adversarial behavior of the Iranian regime, including its support for international terrorism, nuclear and missile development programs and proliferation activities, destabilizing regional interventions, and human rights abuses. Congress has played a leading role in shaping U.S. policy, enacting legislation to authorize and oversee successive Administrations' implementation of Iran-related sanctions. U.S. sanctions have adversely affected Iran's economy but Iranian government behavior remains a threat to U.S. interests and those of partners including Israel. U.S. sanctions on Iran target activities and persons (i.e., entities and individuals) inside or outside Iran to deter, disincentivize support for, and constrain Iran's ability to perpetuate its adversarial behaviors. Primary sanctions impose restrictions on those behaviors and persons directly involved with them. Secondary sanctions seek to deter third parties from engaging with primary targets. Primary and secondary sanctions may include blocking U.S.-based assets, prohibiting transactions with U.S. persons, limiting use of U.S. financial instruments, denying entry into the United States, and prosecuting sanctions violations and evasions. U.S. sanctions on Iran are arguably the most extensive and comprehensive set of sanctions that the United States maintains on any country. Thousands of persons (Iranian and non-Iranian) have been designated for sanctions related to Iran. Reflecting the complex legal framework of U.S. sanctions on Iran, many persons have been designated under multiple authorities; designation under multiple authorities may not confer additional restrictions but may affect how sanctions may be lifted. Current Sanctons Landscape U.S. sanctions on Iran block Iranian government assets in the United States, ban nearly all U.S. trade with Iran, and prohibit foreign assistance and arms sales. U.S. law authorizes sanctions targeting * Iran's energy sector, including foreign corporations that invest in it and entities that buy, sell, or transport Iranian oil; * Iran's financial sector, including its Central Bank; * Additional sectors of Iran's economy, including shipping, construction, mining, textiles, automotive, and manufacturing, as well as entities that conduct transactions with, or otherwise provide support for, those sectors; * Arms trade to or from Iran; and * Many components of Iran's government (including the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC), including entities that conduct transactions with or otherwise support them. Per Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), the United States maintains broad authorizations and exceptions that allow for the sale of food, medicine, and medical devices by U.S. persons or from the United States to Iran. U.S. law permits, under certain circumstances, the use of funds generated by the sale of Iranian oil abroad for humanitarian trade. Beyond those humanitarian exemptions, the U.S. Treasury has issued general licenses to authorize otherwise prohibited transactions for specific purposes, such as the provision of telecommunications equipment to Iranians to circumvent their government's attempts to cut off internet access. Background The 1979 overthrow of the Shah (Iran's former ruler and a staunch U.S. ally) and establishment of the Islamic Republic initiated decades of animosity between the United States and Iran. The Carter Administration initially imposed sanctions to press for the release of U.S. Embassy staff taken as hostages in 1979; the executive branch and Congress expanded U.S. sanctions in the 1980s and 1990s as U.S. policy interests evolved to include compelling Iran to cease its support of acts of international terrorism (including its backing of militants linked to the 1983 bombings of the U.S. Embassy and Multinational Force barracks in Beirut) and its pursuit of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons capabilities or advanced conventional weapons. After the public revelation in 2002 of previously undisclosed nuclear facilities in Iran, the United States and allies incorporated sanctions into efforts to persuade Iran to agree to limit its nuclear activities. The U.N. Security Council, concerned about Iran's nuclear program, launched multinational sanctions in mid-2006, requiring member states to prevent trade with Iran in goods, services, and technology. Congressional action has been critical to the development and expansion of U.S. sanctions on Iran. Congress authorized sanctions targeting Iran's proliferation activities beginning in 1992 and, in 1996, enacted landmark legislation mandating the first Iran-related secondary sanctions, on foreign firms involved in the development of Iran's oil resources (Iran has the world's third largest proven oil reserves). After the Iranian government's violent crackdown on mass protests over its disputed 2009 presidential election, Congress authorized sanctions on officials responsible for the crackdown and other human rights abuses. As international concern about Iran's nuclear program increased, Congress, beginning in 2010, increased the scope of U.S. sanctions, targeting Iran's oil exports and other economic sectors in a bid to deny the Iranian

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most