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Obama extends Iran sanctions

November 12, 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- President Obama extended for a year existing U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Some of the sanctions, enforced under national emergency laws, have been in place since the hostage crisis of 1979, when government-backed Iranian students occupied the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

In a letter to Congress on Thursday, Obama said "to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the situation in Iran."

The sanctions, collectively, permit only a narrow range of dealings with Iran and have routinely been extended each year by every president since Jimmy Carter.

Obama and Congress are considering a range of broader sanctions that would target third parties that deal with Iran's energy escort should diplomatic efforts fault to dissuade Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

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