In effect, EO 13303 provides an extraordinarily broad legal shield for any and all contractors and mercenaries working in Iraq on behalf of US corporations in any oil related enterprise.
The Executive Order also declares a national emergency to deal with the threat to a peaceful reconstruction of Iraq, which US Presidents have renewed every year since, most recently in May 2024.
They say that it will allow opportunities for grave abuses because it offers little illuminating context and its tone suggests the language should be read quite broadly.
The United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1483 on May 22, 2003, ending economic sanctions against Iraq while clearing a path for the transfer of over US$1 billion from the Oil-for-Food program as seed money for establishment of the development fund.
There are differences between the original text (UN Security Council Resolution 1483) and EO 13303, which may lead a court to hold implementation is overbroad.