**GAO-08-58**                      Published: Dec 18, 2007. Publicly Released: Jan 16, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

The 2006 U.S. National Security Strategy stated that the United States faces challenges from Iran, including Iran's proliferation efforts and involvement in international terrorism. To address these concerns, the United States employs a range of tools, including diplomatic pressure, a military presence in the Gulf, and sanctions. A U.S. sanction is a unilateral restriction or condition on economic activity imposed by the United States for reasons of foreign policy or national security. We were asked to review (1) U.S. sanctions targeting Iran and their implementation, (2) reported sanction impacts, and (3) factors limiting sanctions. To conduct the review, we assessed trade and sanction data, information on Iran's economy and energy sector, and U.S. and international reports on Iran, and discussed sanctions with U.S. officials and Iran experts.

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## Topics

International Affairs

Combating terrorismForeign trade policiesInternational relationsInternational trade regulationInternational trade restrictionNuclear proliferationProgram evaluationSanctionsStrategic planningTerrorismTrade regulationData integrityForeign policies