The Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, signed into law on August 5, 1996, stated: ” ‘The efforts of the government of Iran to acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them and its support of acts of international terrorism endanger the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and those countries with which the United States shares common strategic and foreign policy objectives.’ And the target of the policy was Iran’s oil industry. ‘The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States to deny Iran the ability to support acts of international terrorism and to fund the development and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them by limiting the development of Iran’s ability to explore for, extract, refine, or transport by pipeline petroleum resources of Iran.’ ”
– Stephen F. Hayes, Cheney, Page 271-272