[20190514]IN11117_美伊紧张局势升级.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs May 14, 2019 Overview U.S.-Iran tensions have escalated in recent weeks as the Trump Administration has taken several additional steps to implement its “maximum pressure” campaign on Irans economy and government, and Iranian leaders have announced responses. U.S. steps have included designating Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, ending exceptions for Irans oil customers to buy Iranian oil without U.S. penalty, ending sanctions waivers for some assistance to Irans nuclear program, and imposing new sanctions on transactions in some Iranian commodities. Irans leaders have responded, and U.S. officials state that intelligence reports about potential Iran-linked threats to U.S. forces and interests have prompted the Administration to send additional military assets to the region as a deterrent. The escalating tensions have a wide range of potential consequences, which could become the subject for additional congressional oversight of the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran (Joint