Legislation Would Prevent Taxpayer Dollars from Advancing Iran Nuclear Agreement
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator John Hoeven, R-ND, today cosponsored the Iran China Accountability Act, legislation introduced by Senator Marsha Blackburn that would prohibit taxpayer dollars from advancing a nuclear agreement with Iran while the regime has ties with Communist China and terrorist groups like Hamas.
“This legislation will ensure that we hold Iran and China accountable for their destabilizing and terrorist activities and human rights abuses,” said Hoeven. “Given Iran’s belligerence toward the United States, we need to maintain maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to prevent them from building a nuclear weapon. This legislation would prevent the Biden administration from using taxpayer dollars to advance a nuclear agreement with Iran and require that any agreement be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate.”
Specifically, the Iran China Accountability Act:
- Requires any nuclear agreement with Iran to be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the U.S. Senate.
- Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of any funds for any nuclear agreement with Iran until:
- Iran terminates all agreements involving the transfer of funds from China;
- Iran terminates strategic security and military partnerships with China;
- Iran terminates all ties and transfers of cash to Iranian proxy forces, including Hamas;
- Iran verifies the destruction of all chemical weapons, materials, and infrastructure; and,
- China ceases the incarceration of Uyghurs.
- Requires a report from the Secretary of State detailing how any future agreement with Iran meets the requirements listed above.
- Condemns Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel.
In addition to supporting the Iran China Accountability Act, Hoeven has worked to stop a new Iran nuclear agreement and prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, including by:
- Helping introduce the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2021, legislation that would enable Congress to approve or block any effort by the Biden administration to suspend or terminate U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime.
- Helping introduce legislation to block the administration from waiving sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program.
- Pressing President Biden to comply with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA), which Hoeven cosponsored in the Senate and helped pass in 2015.
- The law requires the president to submit any Iran deal to Congress for evaluation.
- Hoeven and his colleagues have committed to block any Iran nuclear deal that is not submitted.
- Helping introduce legislation to prohibit the U.S. from importing Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products and liquefied natural gas.
