Obama signs law imposing new sanctions on Iran News
Obama signs law imposing new sanctions on Iran
Photo source or description

[JURIST] US President Barack Obama [official website] signed legislation [HR 2194] Friday imposing a new round of sanctions on Iran for failure to disband the nation’s uranium enrichment program. Under the new legislation, sanctions will be imposed against parties investing in Iran’s petroleum development and aiding in exporting the petroleum. Financial institutions that facilitate certain activities in Iran, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard [GlobalSecurity backgrounder], will also be subject to sanctions. The UN Security Council [official website] voted last month to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran [press release; JURIST report] in order to persuade the country to cease their enrichment procedures and resolve international concerns over their nuclear program. Obama indicated that the legislation “builds on” [press release] the UN sanctions and called the sanctions “a powerful tool against Iran’s development of nuclear weapons and support of terrorism.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] has strongly criticized attempts to impose UN sanctions on his country’s nuclear program. Last month, the Iranian leader said that actions being taken by the US and its allies in the Security Council are illegal and that his country will not accept any pressure. He also said that any evidence submitted by the US and Britain for new UN sanctions amounted to “lies” similar to the claims made over nuclear weapons in Iraq which served as an impetus to the 2003 war. In December 2006, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions [JURIST report] on Iran for continuing to enrich uranium and broadened them [JURIST report] three months later. The UN had previously ordered Iran to stop expanding [JURIST report] its nuclear program by August 31, 2006. Iran has said it will completely withdraw [JURIST report] from the IAEA if its “nuclear rights” are taken away.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.