On March 14, 2018, the Federal Register published Presidential Notice of March 12, 2018 – Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Iran, which extends for an additional year the national emergency originally declared on March 15, 1995 by Executive Order (EO) 12957 to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of the Government of Iran. More comprehensive sanctions on Iran to further respond to this threat were imposed on May 6, 1995 by EO 12959. EO 13059 (August 19, 1997) consolidated and clarified the earlier orders. Additional steps were taken pursuant through EO 13553 (September 28, 2010), EO 13574 (May 23, 2011), EO 13590 (November 20, 2011), EO 13599 (February 5, 2012), EO 13606 (April 22, 2012), EO 13608 (May 1, 2012), EO 13622 (July 30, 2012), EO 13628 (October 9, 2012), and EO 13645 (June 3, 2013).

On July 14, 2015, the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and Iran agreed to a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains exclusively peaceful. On January 16, 2016, Implementation Day under the JCPOA, the United States lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, by terminating a number of EOs that had been issued pursuant to this national emergency and by taking other actions. Though these measures constitute a significant change in the US sanctions posture, comprehensive non-nuclear-related sanctions with respect to Iran remain in place.

The national emergency is being extended because actions and policies of the Government of Iran, including its development of ballistic missiles, support for international terrorism, and human rights abuses continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.