US SANCTIONS ON IRAN : A TIMELINE

Nov 1979 US imposes first sanctions after Iranian students stormed the US embassy

March 1995 President Bill Clinton bans US firms from investing in Iranian oil and gas and trading with Iran

April 1996 US orders sanctions on foreign firms investing more than $20m a year in Iran’s energy sector

October 2007 New US sanctions against Iran, the toughest since it first imposed sanctions almost three decades ago, for “supporting terrorists”

June 2010 US Congress introduces new sanctions targeting Iran’s energy and banking sectors

May 2011 US blacklists the 21st Iranian state bank and the Bank of Industry and Mines for transactions with banned institutions November 2011 The US, UK and Canada separately announce bilateral sanctions on Iran January 2012 US imposes sanctions on Iran’s central bank, which acts as the main clearinghouse for its oil export profits June 2012 US bans the world’s banks from completing oil transactions with Iran

July 2015 US, other world powers and European Union ink a deal with Iran on limiting its nuclear enrichment activity in return for lifting of sanctions January 2016 Global sanctions on Iran lifted after UN says it’s satisfied with Tehran’s progress on fulfilling the nuclear pact May-June 2018 President Donald Trump announces the US withdrawal from the 2015 international deal on Iran’s nuclear programme November 5, 2018 US reimposes sanctions on Iran, bringing to an end all the economic benefits it had granted Tehran for its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.