Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to the Conventional Arms Activities of Iran
The order blocks all U.S.-accessible property of persons who contribute to Iran's conventional arms trade — including arms suppliers, technical advisers, and those who assist designated parties — and suspends their entry into the United States.
It expands the existing Iran sanctions framework to target conventional weapons flows following the expiration of UN Security Council arms embargo restrictions, taking effect immediately upon signing with no advance notice required for designations.
What this order does
What it orders
The order blocks all U.S.-accessible property and interests of persons the Secretary of State or Treasury determines have materially contributed to the supply, sale, or transfer of arms to or from Iran, provided technical training or financial services in support of such activities, worked to proliferate arms for Iranian military use, or materially assisted anyone already designated under the order. It also suspends the U.S. entry, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of designated persons, with narrow exceptions where the Secretary of State determines entry serves U.S. law enforcement or national interests.
The order operates within the existing national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957 (1995). It expressly exempts transactions involving food, medicine, agricultural commodities, and medical devices bound for Iran, and preserves carve-outs for official U.S. government and United Nations business. Iranian government assets subject to the 1981 Algiers Accords framework are also excluded. All transactions that evade or attempt to circumvent the blocking prohibitions are independently prohibited.
Who it affects
Individuals and entities worldwide who trade in conventional arms with Iran, provide financial or technical support for such trade, or act on behalf of designated parties. U.S. banks, businesses, and individuals are prohibited from transacting with any designated person and must screen against the expanded designations list.
Why it matters
Any person designated under this order faces an immediate freeze of all U.S.-accessible assets and a ban on entering the United States. U.S. financial institutions and businesses that unknowingly transact with designated parties face legal exposure, requiring heightened compliance screening against the expanded Iran arms sanctions list.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The Secretary of State designates persons under criteria related to arms supply, technical support, and proliferation (in consultation with Treasury); Treasury designates those who assist or act for already-designated persons (in consultation with State). Blocking takes effect immediately upon designation — the order explicitly waives advance notice requirements. Treasury is authorized to promulgate implementing rules and redelegate functions within the department. All federal agencies must take appropriate measures to carry out the order's provisions.
Actions and deadlines
- Promulgate rules and regulations implementing the property-blocking and sanctions framework
- Establish or maintain procedures for implementing the entry-suspension provisions for designated persons