Senators Want Say on Iran Sanctions

A large group of Republican senators has introduced legislation requiring the President to submit any sanctions relief for Iran for Congressional review before taking action.

Main cosponsors Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn) reintroduced the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act.

The legislation is meant provide a backstop if the Executive Branch attempts to evade the legal requirements for Congressional review of any agreement related to Iran’s nuclear program contained in the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, according to the senators.

Separately, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved legislation (HR 3033) that would prevent US sanctions on Iran from expiring in 2026 unless Tehran meets specific criteria.

Under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, sanctions currently would expire in 2026. The bill would do away with the sunset, keeping the sanctions in place until Iran stops its weapons proliferation.

“This bill takes the long overdue step of striking the arbitrary sunset from the Iran Sanctions Act, so that sanctions against the regime will only be lifted if Iran stops its threatening behavior,” Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said. “Iran can’t run out the clock on U.S. law.”

The committee also approved the following measures:

• HR 492, condemning the government of Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of the Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights;
• HR 4039, to prohibit the use of funds supporting any activities within Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China; and
• HR 4132, to provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to forced organ harvesting within China.