Iran Accountability Act of 2016
AN ACT
To hold Iran accountable for its state sponsorship of terrorism and other threatening activities and for its human rights abuses, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
On April 2, 2015, in announcing a framework agreement for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, President Obama stated that “other American sanctions on Iran for its support of terrorism, its human rights abuses, its ballistic missile program, will continue to be fully enforced”.
On July 14, 2015, President Obama stated that “we will maintain our own sanctions related to Iran’s support for terrorism, its ballistic missile program, and its human rights violations”.
On January 16, 2016, President Obama stated that “We still have sanctions on Iran for its violations of human rights, for its support of terrorism, and for its ballistic missile program. And we will continue to enforce these sanctions, vigorously.”.
On January 21, 2016, Secretary of State John Kerry admitted that sanctions relief under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action would go to terrorist organizations, stating: “I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists … You know, to some degree, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that every component of that can be prevented.”.
Secretary of State John Kerry stated on July 23, 2015, “We will not violate the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)] if we use our authorities to impose sanctions on Iran for terrorism, human rights, missiles, or other nonnuclear reasons. And the JCPOA does not provide Iran any relief from United States sanctions under any of those authorities or other authorities.”.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper wrote on February 9, 2016, “[T]he Islamic Republic of Iran presents an enduring threat to U.S national interests because of its support to regional terrorist and militant groups and the Assad regime, as well as its development of advanced military capabilities. Tehran views itself as leading the “axis of resistance” which includes the Asad regime and sub-national groups aligned with Iran, especially Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia militants … Tehran might even use American citizens detained when entering Iranian territories as bargaining pieces to achieve financial or political concessions in line with heir strategic intentions.”.
Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew stated on July 14, 2015, “We harbor no illusions about the Iranian government’s nefarious activities beyond its nuclear program. Make no mistake: we will continue to impose and aggressively enforce sanctions to combat Iran’s support for terrorist groups, its fomenting of violence in the region, and its perpetration of human rights abuses.”.
Sec. 3 Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
Iran’s ballistic missile program and support for terrorism represents a serious threat to allies of the United States in the Middle East and Europe, members of the Armed Forces deployed in those regions, and ultimately the United States; and
the United States should impose tough primary and secondary sanctions against any person that directly or indirectly supports the ballistic missile program of Iran, its state sponsorship of terrorism and human rights abuses, as well as against any foreign person or financial institution that engages in transactions or trade that support those efforts.
Sec. 4 Statement of policy
It is the policy of the United States—
to continue to impose pressure on the Government of Iran for its role as the foremost state sponsor of terrorism, its ongoing human rights abuses against the citizens of Iran and other peoples, and its unjust detention of United States citizens; and
to continue to use sanctions as an element of that pressure and to discourage financial institutions and entities from engaging in business and commerce with Iranian entities tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and to Iranian officials involved in human rights abuses.
Sec. 5 Definitions
In this Act:
Entity— The term entity means any corporation, business association, partnership, trust, society, or any other entity.
Foreign person— The term foreign person means an individual or entity that is not a United States person.
IRGC— The term IRGC means—
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and any official, agent, or affiliate of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps; or
any person owned or controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Own or control— The term own or control means, with respect to an entity—
to hold more than 25 percent of the equity interest by vote or value in the entity;
to hold any seats on the board of directors of the entity; or
to otherwise control the actions, policies, or personnel decisions of the entity.
Person— The term person means an individual or entity.
United States person— The term United States person means—
a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the United States; or
an entity organized under the laws of the United States or of any jurisdiction within the United States, including a foreign branch of such an entity.