[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3461 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3461

To impose certain requirements relating to the renegotiation or reentry 
into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or other agreement relating 
           to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 11, 2023

 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Rubio, Mrs. 
Hyde-Smith, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Tillis, and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To impose certain requirements relating to the renegotiation or reentry 
into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or other agreement relating 
           to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Iran China Accountability Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed at 
        Vienna July 14, 2015, provided the Islamic Republic of Iran 
        with more than $100,000,000,000 in sanctions relief, 
        circumventing mandatory sanctions imposed pursuant to Acts of 
        Congress.
            (2) In 2016, the United States delivered $400,000,000 in 
        cash to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
            (3) On May 8, 2018, the United States withdrew from the 
        disastrous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and implemented a 
        campaign of maximum economic pressure on the Islamic Republic 
        of Iran, which will continue until the regime--
                    (A) ends its nuclear program, its pursuit of 
                ballistic missiles, and its support of terrorism and 
                regional destabilization; and
                    (B) releases all United States hostages.
            (4) The Islamic Republic of Iran and the People's Republic 
        of China signed a 25-year strategic economic cooperation 
        agreement on March 27, 2021. The relationship between the 2 
        countries is a strategic partnership that aims to advance the 
        influence of the People's Republic of China in the Middle East.
            (5) The strategic economic cooperation agreement involves a 
        transfer of $400,000,000,000 from the Chinese Communist Party 
        to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
            (6) The Chinese Communist Party is committing an ongoing 
        genocide against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur 
        Autonomous Region and suppressing religious freedom throughout 
        the People's Republic of China.
            (7) The Chinese Communist Party is suppressing religious 
        freedom by arbitrarily imprisoning Christians, raiding house 
        churches, and attempting to shut down houses of worship not 
        endorsed by the Government of the People's Republic of China.
            (8) The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran annually 
        funds $100,000,000 to the terrorist organization Hamas to 
        continue their mission of jihad against the people of Israel.
            (9) The United States Government--
                    (A) unequivocally condemns the terrorist attacks 
                incited by and originating from Israeli land currently 
                occupied by Hamas; and
                    (B) recognizes the right of Israel to defend itself 
                from terrorist attacks incited by Hamas.
            (10) The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is 
        complicit in the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack against the 
        people of Israel. By openly meeting with senior leaders of 
        Hamas after the terrorist attack, the Government of the Islamic 
        Republic of Iran has publicly recognized their involvement such 
        Hamas-led terrorist attack.
            (11) The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is--
                    (A) perpetrating violence against its own people, 
                including through the killing of protesters and the 
                persecution of women and religious minorities; and
                    (B) involved in severe violations of human rights 
                throughout the Middle East, including by supporting the 
                brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
            (12) Since 2021, the People's Republic of China has 
        increased illicit oil purchases from the Islamic Republic of 
        Iran. Such oil purchases would be permitted if the United 
        States lifts sanctions with respect to Islamic Republic of Iran 
        and re-enters the failed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 
        The People's Republic of China remains the largest oil customer 
        of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
            (13) A portion of the oil that the People's Republic of 
        China buys from the Islamic Republic of Iran and other 
        suppliers is potentially being transshipped to the Democratic 
        People's Republic of Korea.
            (14) The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action required that 
        the United Nations arms embargo on the Islamic Republic of Iran 
        expire in October 2020, which would have permitted the People's 
        Republic of China to sell arms to the Islamic Republic of Iran 
        and vice versa.
            (15) President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has sought to rejoin 
        the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or a similar agreement, 
        including by undertaking talks with the Government of the 
        Islamic Republic of Iran and the other parties to the Joint 
        Comprehensive Plan of Action.
            (16) Officials in the administration of President Biden 
        have acknowledged that rejoining a nuclear agreement with the 
        Islamic Republic of Iran would entail an easing of the economic 
        sanctions stipulated by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ANY IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT.

    (a) Limitations Prior to Entering Into Negotiations.--No Federal 
funds may be obligated or expended to enter into any negotiation with 
the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran with respect to an Iran 
nuclear agreement until the President certifies to Congress that--
            (1) the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has 
        terminated--
                    (A) all agreements involving the transfer of funds 
                to such Government from the People's Republic of China; 
                and
                    (B) all agreements involving a strategic military 
                or security partnership with the People's Republic of 
                China;
            (2) the Government of the People's Republic of China has 
        ceased to incarcerate Uyghur individuals in concentration camps 
        in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region;
            (3) the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has 
        terminated all ties and transfers of cash to Iranian proxy 
        forces, including Hamas; and
            (4) the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has 
        verified the destruction of any and all chemical weapons, 
        materials, and infrastructure.
    (b) Requirement for Contents of Agreement.--No Federal funds may be 
obligated or expended for United States entry into any Iran nuclear 
agreement, and the President may not take any action (including in the 
form of an agenda, agreement, platform, or plan) to carry out the goals 
of such an agreement, unless such agreement certifies the destruction 
of any and all Iranian nuclear and missile capabilities, weapons, 
infrastructure, chemical weapons, and offensive cyber activity.
    (c) Ratification Required.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, any Iran nuclear agreement shall be deemed a treaty subject to the 
requirement that the Senate provide its advice and consent pursuant to 
article II, section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution of the United 
States. The President may not take any action (including in the form of 
an agenda, agreement, platform, or plan) to carry out the goals of such 
an agreement until the Senate has adopted a resolution of advice and 
consent with respect to that agreement.
    (d) Report Required.--The Secretary of State shall submit to 
Congress, prior to the submission of a proposed Iran nuclear agreement 
to the Senate for its advice and consent in accordance with subsection 
(c), a report setting forth the manner and extent to which the 
negotiation and terms of such proposed Iran nuclear agreement comply 
with each limitation and requirement under this section.
    (e) Iran Nuclear Agreement Defined.--In this section, the term 
``Iran nuclear agreement'' means--
            (1) the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed at 
        Vienna July 14, 2015, by the Islamic Republic of Iran and by 
        the People's Republic of China, France, Germany, the Russian 
        Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the 
        High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs 
        and Security Policy, and all implementing materials and 
        agreements related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; 
        and
            (2) any successor or other agreement exchanging relief from 
        international sanctions for restrictions on the nuclear program 
        of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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