On March 13, 2019, the Federal Register published Presidential Notice of March 12, 2019 Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Iran, which extends for an additional year the national emergency first declared by Executive Order (EO) 12957 (March 15, 1995). More comprehensive sanctions on Iran were imposed in EO 12959 (May 6, 1995). EO 13059 (August 19, 1997) consolidated and clarified those orders. The President took additional steps pursuant to this national emergency in EO 13553 of September 28, 2010; Executive Order 13574 of May 23, 2011; Executive Order 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); EO 13645 (June 3, 2013); EO 13716 (January 16, 2016); and EO 13846 (August 6, 2018).

The national emergency is being extended because, as outlined in National Security Presidential Memorandum–11 of May 8, 2018 (Ceasing United States Participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Taking Additional Action to Counter Iran’s Malign Influence and Deny Iran All Paths to a Nuclear Weapon), the actions and policies of the Government of Iran, including its proliferation and development of missiles and other asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities, its network and campaign of regional aggression, its support for terrorist groups, and the malign activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its surrogates continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

The emergency declared by Executive Order 12957 constitutes an emergency separate from that declared on November 14, 1979, by Executive Order 12170, in connection with the hostage crisis. This renewal, therefore, is distinct from the emergency renewal of November 2018.