Flying to US with German & Iranian Passport [duplicate]

I'm from Germany and me and my friends want to fly to Las Vegas, America. I was there two years ago with my parents and now I want to make a roadtrip with my friends in July 2016.

The problem in this case is that I got a German and Iranian passport. Two years ago, it was not a big deal, when I was signing myself for ESTA, but now I read something about a new law, where it's not allowed for German citizens who got an Iranian passport to fly to the US with the regular ESTA Program.

My question is therefore:

Is this law already applied ?
And if no, can I sign myself up for ESTA right now? Is it regular counting for two years ? So if this new law is coming, I'm not concerned with this matter, because I sign myself up, when the law was not applied? I would then sign up today and fly in July 2016. That's what I'm thinking about.
The last time I signed myself up for the ESTA Program, we got a hotel in Vegas, which I also write in the program form. In this case, we want to book the hotel when we arrive in Vegas and not from Germany (it's cheaper to book in Vegas) so we don't have an address right now. So, it's OK, when I don't have adress where we're gonna stay? Or can I write in the hotel we want to stay? I'm worried that our case will be denied, if we don't have a stay.

Best Answer

Update: The official website has now been updated and reads:

Important Notice: The Department of Homeland Security has begun the process of implementing changes to the traveler eligibility requirements of the Visa Waiver Program mandated by the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, as enacted on December 18, 2015. The Department of Homeland Security will announce any changes affecting travelers to the United States from Visa Waiver Program countries as soon as that information is available.

This explicitly means that the changes are not yet in effect but that they are coming soon. Also, I am not a lawyer and I haven't read the “Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act” but “changes to the traveler eligibility requirements of the Visa Waiver Program” implies that you will not be able to go around these changes once they are in effect, even if you still have a valid ESTA.

The changes are not yet into effect. Neither the State department nor the Customs and Border Protection VWP/ESTA websites have been updated. When these changes were announced, about a week ago, the timeframe wasn't clear and these things usually take some time. They might very well be implemented before the summer however.

It's difficult to know exactly what the new rules will be while we only have a broad announcement but it's definitely not safe to assume that applying for an ESTA now would spare you the need to get a visa until it expires. For that's not how these things usually work! For example, if you look at the Visa Waiver Program rules, you will note that you need to have an ESTA and fulfil all the other conditions. If your situation (or the law) changes, already having the ESTA does not exempt you from the other requirements of the program.

On the other hand, you have very little to lose besides $14 (being refused an ESTA might force someone to apply for a visa, but it's likely to be the case for you anyway).