On August 10, 2012, President Obama signed into law H.R. 1905,
the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act
("ITRA")1. Following months of negotiations
between and among the House, the Senate, and the Administration,
both chambers of Congress reached agreement on a reconciled
bill2, which the House passed by a vote of 421-6 on
August 1, and the Senate passed by voice vote later that same
day.
The enactment of this new sanctions legislation comes amid a
flurry of activity related to Iran sanctions, including several new
US Executive Orders and enforcement actions3 designed to
intensify the scope of US sanctions against Iran, as well as the
European Union's recent embargo on imports of Iranian oil and
prohibition on the provision of financial services by European
individuals and entities for Iranian oil exports to third
parties4. The ITRA marks the third law with a focus on
Iran sanctions in the last two years: the Comprehensive Iran
Sanctions, Accountability
