Statement on Signing the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010
Issued 2010-07-01 by Barack Obama
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
President Obama signed the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 into law on July 1, 2010. The law requires sanctions against people and companies that invest in Iran's petroleum development or export refined petroleum products to Iran. It also requires sanctions on financial institutions that facilitate certain activities involving Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or other sanctioned persons. Additionally, the law gives the government new authority to sanction those who have violated the rights of Iranian citizens.
This legislation affects investors, companies, and financial institutions around the world that do business with Iran's petroleum sector or help facilitate transactions with Iran and certain Iranian entities. The law was designed to work alongside United Nations Security Council sanctions that had recently been passed.
According to President Obama's statement, the law aims to pressure Iran over its development of nuclear weapons and support of terrorism. The law gives the President flexibility to waive some petroleum-related sanctions for countries that are closely cooperating in multilateral efforts to constrain Iran, particularly when doing so is vital to U.S. national security interests.
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
This signing statement ("Statement on Signing the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010") was issued alongside a bill the President signed into law. The President's stated concerns: "In particular, it provides new authority for addressing the situation of those countries that are closely cooperating in multilateral efforts to constrain Iran." Signing statements allow presidents to express constitutional or policy objections to specific provisions of legislation they have just signed. Their legal weight and constitutional propriety have been contested since the practice became common in the 1980s.
Critics — including the American Bar Association — argue that using signing statements to announce an intent to not enforce portions of a law effectively creates a line-item veto, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York (1998). Defenders argue presidents have a duty to identify constitutional concerns and that signing statements are a legitimate form of executive interpretation. The constitutional propriety depends on whether this specific statement announces non-enforcement or merely records the President's views.
Official Summary
Administration of Barack H. Obama, 2010 Statement on Signing the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 July 1, 2010 Today, I have signed into law H.R. 2194, the "Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010". This Act builds upon the recently passed United Nations Security Council Resolution and its strong foundation for new multilateral sanctions. It is designed to pressure Iran by requiring sanctions on those persons investing in Iran's development of petroleum resources and exporting to Iran refined petroleum and items needed to strengthen Iran's refined petroleum production capability. Further, it requires sanctions on financial institutions facilitating certain activities involving Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or other sanctioned persons. The Act also puts in place new authorities to demonstrate the strong and sustained commitment of the United States to advancing the universal rights of all Iranians, and to sanction those who have abused their rights. The Act provides a powerful tool against Iran's development of nuclear weapons and support of terrorism, while at the same time preserving flexibility to time and cal