[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 45 (Monday, November 15, 1999)]
[Pages 2282-2283]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the Congress on Continuation of the National Emergency With 
Respect to Iran

November 5, 1999

To the Congress of the United States:

    Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) 
provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, 
prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President 
publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice 
stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the 
anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent the 
enclosed notice, stating that the Iran emergency declared in 1979 is to 
continue in effect beyond November 14, 1999, to the Federal Register for 
publication. Similar notices have been sent annually to the Congress and 
published in the Federal Register since November 12, 1980. The most 
recent notice appeared in the Federal Register on November 12, 1998. 
This emergency is separate from that declared with respect to Iran on 
March 15, 1995, in Executive Order 12957.

[[Page 2283]]

    The crisis between the United States and Iran that began in 1979 has 
not been fully resolved. The international tribunal established to 
adjudicate claims of the United States and U.S. nationals against Iran 
and of the Iranian government and Iranian nationals against the United 
States continues to function, and normalization of commercial and 
diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran has not been 
achieved. On March 15, 1995, I declared a separate national emergency 
with respect to Iran pursuant to the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act and imposed separate sanctions. By Executive Order 12959 of 
May 6, 1995, these sanctions were significantly augmented, and by 
Executive Order 13059 of August 19, 1997, the sanctions imposed in 1995 
were further clarified. In these circumstances, I have determined that 
it is necessary to maintain in force the broad authorities that are in 
place by virtue of the November 14, 1979, declaration of emergency, 
including the authority to block certain property of the Government of 
Iran, and which are needed in the process of implementing the January 
1981 agreements with Iran.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
November 5, 1999.

Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
November 8. An original was not available for verification of the 
content of this message.