Foreign policy and sanctions

Executive Order 13290: Confiscating and Vesting Certain Iraqi Property

President: George W. Bush

Directed the seizure and vesting in the United States of specified Iraqi government property and prohibited transactions involving that property.

Status: Superseded. Is Executive Order 13290 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13290 was superseded. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13290 do?

The order assigned these duties: Treasury Department, State Department, Justice Department and OFAC — Directed the seizure and vesting in the United States of specified Iraqi government property and prohibited transactions involving that property.

Checked the property-vesting order against EO 13350 and the later Iraq emergency record. The guide distinguishes confiscation and vesting of covered Iraqi property from the broader sanctions authorities in other orders.

Administration position: The order’s policy rationale is described in its text and administration records. Implementation and legal observations below are based on the cited official sources.
SignedMarch 20, 2003
IssuerPresident George W. Bush
Lead agencies or officialsTreasury Department, State Department, Justice Department and OFAC
Express timingImmediate blocking and vesting; licenses and exemptions administered by Treasury

Before and after

Before the order

Existing Iraq sanctions blocked property but did not provide the comprehensive vesting mechanism used after the 2003 invasion.

After the order

Treasury and OFAC administered blocking and licensing, while EOs 13303, 13315, 13350 and 13464 modified the Iraqi property regime.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Treasury Department, State Department, Justice Department and OFACDirected the seizure and vesting in the United States of specified Iraqi government property and prohibited transactions involving that property.Immediate blocking and vesting; licenses and exemptions administered by Treasury

What happened next

EO 13290 signed.

May 22, 2003 — EO 13303 created broader protections for the Development Fund for Iraq. Later orders progressively revised the program.