US President Donald Trump issued an executive order Aug. 6 reimposing certain sanctions against Iran. In a press statement, the White House criticized the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) of July 2015, signed by Iran, Germany, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the EU. The US withdrew from the JCPOA in May, prompting a legal challenge from Iran before the International Court of Justice. The White House stated that JCPOA "threw a lifeline of cash to a murderous dictatorship that has continued to spread bloodshed, violence, and chaos." The administration claims Iran used monies freed by the JCPOA to fund nuclear-capable missiles, terrorism, and to support the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

In Executive Order 12957, the White House draws authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the National Emergencies Act, the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.

The order restricts individual parties from trading in metals, petrochemical products, technology, or lending expert assistance with prescribed Iranian entities. It prohibits Iran from acquiring US bank notes and restricts financial transactions on the Iranian rial. The order also authorizes sanctions for the exchange of goods and services that may have been used by the Iranian government to commit human rights abuses.

From Jurist, Aug. 6. Used with permission.

Note: Since Trump's decision to leave the Iranian nuclear deal, Iran's economy has been in rapid decline, resulting in significant unrest. Iran is directly invovled in the Syrian war, and less directly in Yemen's war.