New Iran sanctions bill introduced in House

 WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—U.S. Representatives Peter J. Roskam (R-IL), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), and Doug Lamborn (R-CO) on Wednesday, Feb. 1, introduced the Iran Nonnuclear Sanctions Act of 2017 to target the Islamic Republic’s support for terrorism, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile program. The lawmakers serve as Co-Chairs of the House Republican Israel Caucus.

This legislation incorporates aspects of the QASSAM Act, authored by Rep. Roskam during the last Congress to push back against the illicit activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Rep. Roskam released the following statement:

“Iran has made a mockery of the international community with its missile program, support for terrorism, and human rights abuses. Just this past weekend, the Islamic Republic conducted a ballistic missile test in violation of the U.N. Security Council. The United States will no longer stand idly by and allow the Mullahs to flout international law and threaten the peaceful coexistence of nations with its reckless, belligerent behavior.”

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Todd Young (R-IN), and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced similar legislation in the United States Senate.

The Iran Nonnuclear Sanctions Act would:

• Impose new sanctions against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Mahan Air, an Iranian airline that has helped the IRGC to spread terrorism and militancy;

• Create a new Treasury Department watchlist for entities in which the IRGC has an ownership interest of less than 25 percent;

• Expand current sanctions and imposes new sanctions against Iran for its egregious human rights abuses, while also mandating full transparency to Congress on all American citizens detained or kidnapped by Iran and U.S. government efforts to free them;

• Impose new sanctions against persons that knowingly aid Iran’s ballistic missile program;

• Mandate new sanctions against entities owned 25 percent or greater or controlled by Iran’s key ballistic missile organizations, including the Aerospace Industries Organization, the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, or the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group;

• Require a presidential certification that persons listed in U.N. Security Council Resolutions are not engaged in activities related to ballistic missiles and requires the imposition of sanctions if that certification cannot be made;

• Impose sanctions on persons involved in sectors of Iran’s economy that support, directly or indirectly, Iran’s ballistic program; and

• Codify current prohibitions against Iran’s direct and indirect access to the U.S. financial system, while also streamlining and strengthening the requirements for the president to remove Iran or any other

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Preceding provided by Congressman Roskam and Senator Rubio.