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WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Iranian relations with the United States haven't improved, prompting an extension a U.S. national emergency regarding Iran, the U.S. president said. A national emergency regarding Iran was declared Nov. 14, 1979, 10 days after Iranian militants took U.S. Embassy employees hostage in Tehran.
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The Iranian hostage situation was in part the result of the Islamic Revolution, which gave rise to a clerical leadership in Tehran.
The hostages were released under the partial terms of the Algiers Accord, a 14-page agreement brokered in January 1981 that lays out a series of diplomatic steps meant to repair bilateral ties.
U.S. President Barack Obama said he notified the Federal Register of his decision to continue the state of emergency beyond Sunday.
"Our relations with Iran have not yet returned to normal, and the process of implementing the Jan. 19, 1981, agreements with Iran is still under way," he said in a statement. "For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared on Nov. 14, 1979, with respect to Iran, beyond Nov. 14, 2010."
Obama reached out to the Iranian people in the early part of his presidency, though acrimony with the government lingers over human rights issues, alleged Iranian support for terrorism and problems associated with Iran's controversial nuclear program.
