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Bill Expands Ballistic Missile Sanctions, Sanctions Arms Transfers To or From Iran, and Extends the Iran Sanctions Act
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today announced they will introduce the Countering Iranian Threats Act of 2016. The bipartisan bill expands sanctions for ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, and other illicit Iranian actions; sanctions transfers of conventional weapons to or from Iran; and extends the Iran Sanctions Act.
“We need to look no further than Iran’s dangerous and destabilizing activities to see the disaster that the Iran nuclear agreement has been over the last year. I am pleased to support this bipartisan bill to address Iran’s ballistic missile activities, support for terrorism, violations of human rights, and cyber activities,” said Rubio. “I call on all of Congress and the Obama Administration to support this bill and make clear to Iran that its nefarious activities that threaten the United States and our allies will not be allowed to continue without repercussions.”
“As many anticipated, Iran continues to test the will of the United States and the international community, and it is very evident that we must push back against their regionally destabilizing activities,” said Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who led the opposition in Congress to the administration’s nuclear deal with Iran. “As part of a regional strategy, this bipartisan bill mandates tough sanctions for ballistic missile activity, terrorism, and other illicit behavior. It also reasserts the proper role of Congress, explicitly prohibiting a president from using sanctions relief in the future to implement an international agreement with Iran without Congressional approval. In the absence of resolve from the White House, and with strong support from members of both parties, I am hopeful Congress will act in the coming months to pass this robust legislation to counter Iranian aggression.”
“Over the course of the last year, we have engaged the Administration repeatedly about the need to address Iranian threats to our national interests and the interests of our friends and allies in the region and around the world,” said Menendez. “Iran’s threats extend well beyond nuclear weapons ambitions. Iran is a supporter of international terrorism, continues to develop its ballistic missile capabilities, actively seeks to destabilize friendly governments, has conducted cyberattacks against the United States and our allies, continues human rights abuses, and does so with impunity. The United States must reserve the right to hold Iran accountable for its actions and that is exactly what this legislation will do, imposing stricter sanctions tied to the specific actions outside of the nuclear portfolio. We must speak to Iran in the language they understand: There will be consequences.”
“We need to send a strong message to Iran that Congress is monitoring their activity and this commonsense, bipartisan legislation does just that,” Manchin said. “This bill maintains sanctions pressure on the Iranian regime through 2026 to improve its record on human rights and curtail Iran’s acquisition of ballistic missiles, which Iran continues to pursue. These sanctions will also target the Revolutionary Guard Corps, an organization that supports terrorism throughout the Middle East. Iran is the world’s largest sponsor of terror, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that this regime is not able to continue its deplorable terrorist actions.”
The Countering Iranian Threats Act (CITA) of 2016 contains the following key provisions: