SELECT COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MEMORANDUM ON SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN
PART I: FOREIGN POLICY ASPECTS
1. The US Embassy hostages in Iran were seized on 4 November
1979. All efforts to secure their release have hitherto proved
fruitless. The Security Council passed Resolutions on
4 December and 31 December calling for their release. These
were ignored. The ICJ made an interim Order calling for their
release on 15 December, and issued its final judgment on 24 May
repeating this. Both were ignored.
2.
A draft Resolution of the Security Council calling for
economic sanctions against Iran was vetoed by the Soviet Union on 13 January.
3.
Diplomatic efforts to obtain the hostages' release have also been unavailing. The Secretary-General of the UN travelled to Tehran early in the New Year and a UN Commission on Enquiry visited Tehran under the auspices of the Secretary-General from 23 February-11 March, but without success. There have also been numerous less formal attempts by interested governments, other organisations and even private individuals to make
progress.
4. On 7 April the United States announced political and economic measures which it had decided to take against Iran in view of the continued detention of the hostages. The US subse- quently asked a number of friendly and allied countries also to apply against Iran a similar range of measures, including the economic sanctions in the draft Security Council Resolution which had been vetoed.
5. The British Government had made clear its readiness to back the United States, if necessary on sanctions, as early as December. The detention of the hostages constitutes a funda- mental breach of international law and of the Vienna Convention
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