Disapproving of the waiver of sanctions on Iran submitted to Congress on September 11, 2023.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 739 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 739

 Disapproving of the waiver of sanctions on Iran submitted to Congress 
                         on September 11, 2023.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2023

 Mr. Issa (for himself, Mr. James, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Moran, 
Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Self, Mr. 
Allen, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Clyde, Mr. 
Cloud, Mr. C. Scott Franklin of Florida, Mrs. Harshbarger, Mr. Burgess, 
   Mr. Fry, Mr. Ezell, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Bishop of North Carolina, Mr. 
 Kiley, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Babin, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Smith of 
 New Jersey, Mr. McClintock, and Ms. Stefanik) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Disapproving of the waiver of sanctions on Iran submitted to Congress 
                         on September 11, 2023.

Whereas, in 1984, the Department of State designated the Islamic Republic of 
        Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism;
Whereas, today, Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, using 
        its state resources to support terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and 
        Hamas and to destabilize or coopt countries across the Middle East, 
        including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen;
Whereas, since the 1980s, Iran has sought to develop the necessary 
        infrastructure and enrich uranium which would enable it to acquire a 
        nuclear weapon in violation of United Nations Security Council 
        resolutions and its commitments under the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of 
        Nuclear Weapons;
Whereas Iran has enriched large quantities of uranium to 60 percent purity, a 
        level of enrichment which is unnecessary for civilian use;
Whereas President Biden entered office promising to revive the Joint 
        Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and has pursued a negotiating 
        strategy of unreasonable concessions to Iran;
Whereas it is widely reported over the summer of 2023, the Biden administration 
        has been developing a framework with Iran for implementing a nuclear 
        agreement including significant sanctions relief for Iran;
Whereas the Biden administration has relaxed sanctions impacting Iranian funds 
        being held in Iraq and South Korea, and facilitated their transfer to 
        third parties for Iran to spend on humanitarian items;
Whereas, due to the fungibility of money, the release of funds to Iranian 
        control will allow Iran to strengthen its illicit nuclear and ballistic 
        missile programs and its financing of terrorism;
Whereas Bloomberg News reported on August 25, 2023, that ``U.S. officials 
        privately acknowledge they've gradually relaxed some enforcement of 
        sanctions on Iranian oil sales. Tehran has restored production to the 
        highest level since the ban kicked in five years ago and is shipping its 
        most crude to China in a decade. Iranian officials are confident they'll 
        pump even more soon.'';
Whereas, on September 11, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified 
        Congress that the United States had waived sanctions ``occurring on or 
        after August 9, 2023'' to allow $6,000,000,000 in Iranian assets being 
        held in South Korea to be released to Iran;
Whereas the nonenforcement of key mandatory statutory sanctions against Iran and 
        the decision to make available to Iran billions of dollars in assets, 
        represents significant concessions and a marked weakening of United 
        States policy towards Iran;
Whereas the delay in notification of the sanctions waiver frustrated the ability 
        of Congress to exercise its constitutional oversight function in a 
        timely manner; and
Whereas pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, the President has an 
        obligation to submit any nuclear agreement with Iran to Congress before 
        engaging in sanctions relief and to ``keep the appropriate congressional 
        committees and leadership fully and currently informed of any initiative 
        or negotiations with Iran relating to Iran's nuclear program'', none of 
        which the President has done: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) disapproves of the sanctions waiver issued on September 
        11, 2023;
            (2) condemns the delayed notification of sanctions relief;
            (3) disapproves of the Biden administration's 
        nonenforcement of mandatory statutory United States sanctions 
        against Iran;
            (4) disapproves of the use of sanctions relief as a 
        mechanism to make ransom payments;
            (5) demands that the President submit the agreement under 
        which the administration is coordinating actions with Iran 
        before engaging in further sanction relief;
            (6) expresses its outrage that Secretary Blinken 
        transmitted a notification of an agreement with the world's 
        leading state sponsor of terrorism on September 11, the 
        anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack in United States 
        history;
            (7) condemns hostage-taking by Iran; and
            (8) welcomes home United States citizen previously held 
        hostage by Iran.
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