Please note that on May 8, 2018, the President announced his decision to cease the United States’ participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and to begin re-imposing the U.S. nuclear-related sanctions that were lifted to effectuate the JCPOA sanctions relief, following a wind-down period.
Please see OFAC's Recent Actions Notice of May 8, 2018 for more information.
Implementation Day Statement:
On July 14, 2015, the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful. October 18, 2015 marked Adoption Day of the JCPOA, the date on which the JCPOA came into effect and participants began taking steps necessary to implement their JCPOA commitments. Today, January 16, 2016, marks Implementation Day of the JCPOA. On this historic day, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified that Iran has implemented its key nuclear-related measures described in the JCPOA, and the Secretary State has confirmed the IAEA’s verification. As a result of Iran verifiably meeting its nuclear commitments, the United States is today lifting nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, as described in the JCPOA.
In connection with reaching Implementation Day, today the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued several documents. Specifically, OFAC posted to its website: Guidance Relating to the Lifting of Certain Sanctions Pursuant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Implementation Day; Frequently Asked Questions Relating to the Lifting of Certain U.S. Sanctions Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Implementation Day; General License H: Authorizing Certain Transactions relating to Foreign Entities Owned or Controlled by a United States Person; and a Statement of Licensing Policy for Activities Related to the Export or Re-Export to Iran of Commercial Passenger Aircraft and Related Parts and Services. The aforementioned documents are effective today, January 16, 2016.
In addition, OFAC has submitted for publication in the Federal Register a final rule adding a general license under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 560, relating to the importation into the United States of Iranian-origin carpets and foodstuffs, including pistachios and caviar; this general license will be effective upon publication in the Federal Register.
OFAC has also published to its website additional information regarding actions to give effect to other JCPOA commitments, including removals from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List, and/or the Non-SDN Iran Sanctions Act List, as appropriate. In addition, OFAC has made available on its website a list of persons identified as blocked solely pursuant to Executive Order 13599 (“E.O. 13599 List”), which consists of persons that OFAC previously identified as meeting the definition of the Government of Iran or an Iranian financial institution. Information regarding these changes to OFAC’s sanctions lists is available on OFAC’s Recent Actions website. This information will be published subsequently in the Federal Register.
Implementation Day also marks the close of the Joint Plan of Action of November 24, 2013, as extended (JPOA), including the provision of sanctions relief pursuant to the JPOA.
Effective Implementation Day, all specific licenses that: (1) were issued pursuant to OFAC’s Second Amended Statement of Licensing Policy on Activities Related to the Safety of Iran’s Civil Aviation Industry, and (2) have an expiration date on or before July 14, 2015, are hereby authorized to remain in effect according to their terms until May 31, 2016.