The United States extends national emergency with respect to Iran because the relations between the two countries have yet to improve, US President Barack Obama said in a letter to the US Congress on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)�� In November 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed the executive order, which froze all assets of�the Iranian government in�the United States. The step was taken in�the midst of�a hostage crisis, when 52 US citizens were held captive by�a group of�Iranians for�444 days.

�Our relations with�Iran have not yet returned to�normal,� Obama said. �I have determined that it is necessary to�continue the national emergency declared in�Executive Order 12170 with�respect to�Iran.�

In the letter to�Congress, President Obama said Carter�s executive order will stay in�effect beyond�November 14, 2015 despite�the recent progress in�the relations between�Washington and Tehran.

In July, Iran reached an agreement with�the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, which would guarantee peaceful nature of�its nuclear program and partially dismantle sanctions against�the country.

The White House has previously stated, however, that the Iran deal did not aim at�normalizing relations between�the two countries.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151110/1029894996/obama-iran-national-emergency.html#ixzz3r9wO53cB

By Sputnik New