[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9610-9614]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




URGING IRAN TO RELEASE ALL DETAINED UNITED STATES CITIZENS AND PROVIDE 
ANY INFORMATION REGARDING UNITED STATES CITIZENS THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED 
                           WITHIN ITS BORDERS

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 233) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that Iran should immediately release the three United 
States citizens that it holds, as well as provide all known information 
on any United States citizens that have disappeared within its borders.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 233

       Whereas three United States citizens have been held captive 
     in Iran, some of them for multiple years;
       Whereas one United States citizen disappeared in Iran over 
     eight years ago; and
       Whereas Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stated that 
     his government wishes to engage in a constructive interaction 
     with the world: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that Iran should release all detained United 
     States citizens immediately and provide any information it 
     possesses regarding any United States citizens that have 
     disappeared within its borders.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today, we consider H. Res. 233, expressing the sense of 
the House of Representatives that Iran should immediately release all 
detained U.S. citizens as well as provide all known information on any 
U.S. citizens who have disappeared within the borders of Iran.
  As always, I appreciate the support of the ranking member, Mr. Engel 
of New York, in bringing this resolution to the floor. I also want to 
acknowledge the author of this measure, Congressman Kildee of Michigan, 
as well as those Members who continue to stress how important it is 
that this body speak out on this issue. These citizens need to be 
allowed to come home now. They are U.S. citizens.
  In particular, I want to thank Mr. Deutch, who is with us here today, 
who is a senior member of our committee. He has been consistently 
focused for many years on the case of his missing constituent.
  Two weeks ago, the Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing at which 
the family members of four Americans--three in prison and one missing 
in Iran for 8 years--testified. This was the first time all four of the 
families came together for such a hearing. We heard and saw the 
excruciating pain that they are living with day in and day out, not 
knowing if and when they will see their husband, their father, or their 
brother again. Each of these tragic cases underscores the complete lack 
of justice and, frankly, the brutal treatment that these Americans have 
faced in Iran.
  Jason Rezaian is a journalist who was born and raised in California. 
He had hoped to use his position at The Washington Post to present a 
greater understanding of the Iranian people. Instead, he has been 
arrested on trumped-up charges and has been held for over 300 days at 
the infamous Evin Prison. Last week, a second closed hearing in his 
trial was held, which, like all other aspects of his case, was shrouded 
in secrecy.
  In September of 2012, Iran arrested and later sentenced Pastor Saeed 
Abedini to 8 years in prison for gathering with others to study the 
Bible, which, as his wife told the committee, is, in fact, a lawful 
act, even under Iranian law, but one which the regime deemed a threat 
to national security. In jail, his guards have attempted to coerce him 
and torture him to get him to renounce his faith, telling him that 
otherwise he will serve an even longer time.
  In August of 2011, Amir Hekmati, who is a former United States 
marine, was sentenced to death for alleged espionage. This is someone 
who went to visit his grandparents. Upon appeal, his sentence was 
reduced, by the way, to 10 years. As his sister described to the 
committee, her family was told by Iranian officials not to go public 
with

[[Page 9611]]

Amir's imprisonment or he would be put in even greater danger. Well, as 
she described to us through tears, despite their silence, Amir suffered 
extensive and repeated torture: beaten on his feet with cables and 
tasered repeatedly in the kidneys. At home, his father is gravely ill. 
But locked up, Amir can't travel back to see his father.
  In 2007, Robert Levinson went missing on Iran's Kish Island. Eight 
years later, Iran continues to refuse to assist the United States in 
locating him. As his son testified, his father is now the longest held 
hostage in American history.
  Mr. Speaker, the House stands in solidarity with each of these 
families. Our hearts break for them, and we share their anger and 
frustration at the desperate position they are facing.
  As we approach the deadline for negotiations on a nuclear agreement 
with Iran--one that, no matter the terms, will require us to have at 
least some trust in the regime--I have to ask the question: What do 
these four cases say about the regime we are dealing with? If a 
journalist can be suddenly imprisoned on bogus charges, what treatment 
can international inspectors expect?
  But more fundamentally, if top Iranian officials can't be counted on 
to assist these wrongfully jailed American citizens, can they be 
counted on to honor the commitments they make at the negotiating table?
  This, by the way, is why verification is such an important part of an 
agreement. But on the question of whether they can be counted on, call 
me a skeptic.
  I also have to ask why the administration, on the brink of striking a 
deal in which we would give the Iranians tens of billions of dollars in 
sanctions relief, is failing here.
  The bottom line expressed in this resolution today is that these four 
Americans must be allowed home now, and that is a sentiment that all of 
us can support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 233, calling for the release of 
Americans held or missing in Iran.
  First of all, I want to associate my feelings with the remarks of our 
chairman, Congressman Royce. I think he hit the nail right on the head 
several times with his statement. I agree with every word he uttered.
  It is just ludicrous that at a time where we are weeks away from 
ostensibly completing an agreement with Iran, that our hostages--I 
can't think of any other word for them--are being treated so shabbily 
by the Iranian regime. As far as I am concerned, it casts a pall on any 
potential agreement that we have with Iran on June 30. If this is the 
way they are treating Americans, how can we rely on them or count on 
them to fulfill their obligations under any agreement we sign with 
them?
  It is just ludicrous that here we are at the eleventh hour. You would 
think the Iranian regime would want to start acting favorably so that 
we in Congress might favorably look upon any deal that could be 
reached. Instead, they are continuing their old ways and doing just the 
opposite. It just doesn't make any sense. It doesn't help us to trust 
them, it doesn't help us to believe them, and it only furthers all the 
things that we have seen and heard and questioned about this rogue 
regime in Tehran.
  I want to thank Representative Kildee for authoring this resolution. 
He has been a champion for these four Americans and their families. As 
I said at our hearing, he has been unrelenting in terms of fighting for 
his constituent and for the others who are held in Iranian prisons.
  Representative Deutch, the ranking member of the Middle East and 
North Africa Subcommittee, who also has a constituent who is a hostage, 
has also been very vociferous. And Representative Huffman is always 
talking to us about these issues and always looking to free all these 
Americans in prison. Also Representative Labrador, and Representative 
Kildee has assured that these Americans are not forgotten in Congress.
  As was mentioned, 2 weeks ago, our committee heard from the Hekmati, 
Rezaian, Levinson, and Abedini families. Their stories were 
heartbreaking, their pleas heartfelt, and as they made clear in their 
testimony, their cause is our cause. It is America's cause.
  We are a few weeks away, as I said before, from an important deadline 
in the Iranian nuclear talks. It is ridiculous that our citizens 
languish in Iranian jails while we negotiate. At the same time, as the 
families of the Americans point out, these negotiations have given us 
the only opportunity to directly raise the cases of the four Americans 
with the Iranian Government, and we are assured by the administration 
that at every instance they raise these cases with the Iranian 
Government.
  I am happy they raise the cases. I am grateful that they raise these 
cases. But, of course, if we don't get these people home, it is all for 
naught. I cannot imagine having an agreement with Iran that doesn't 
take into account these people, that doesn't release these people. It 
would just be a dereliction of our duties and responsibility to have an 
agreement with Iran while not bargaining or getting the freedom of 
these people. We don't want these people used as a bargaining chip, but 
on the other hand, we don't want these people to remain in jail after 
there is some kind of an agreement with Iran.
  I wish we knew more about the conditions of these four Americans, but 
in these cases, Iran isn't playing by the rules once again. Typically, 
if an American were detained in Iran, Switzerland, the U.S. 
``protecting power'' in Iran, would have access to them for consular 
services. It is not the case here.
  In the cases of these three Iranian Americans, Iran doesn't even 
acknowledge their dual citizenship--only their Iranian citizenship. 
This position runs roughshod over long-established international law.

                              {time}  1630

  Without consular access, we cannot judge the health and welfare of 
our own American citizens. This is unacceptable. The United States 
respects this access for Iranian citizens held here. Reciprocal 
privileges are the least they could provide.
  Sadly, Mr. Deutch's constituent--Robert Levinson's whereabouts are 
unknown. I simply don't believe the Iranians have been forthcoming at 
all about his status. If he is, indeed, still a hostage, he is now the 
longest held hostage in American history. We shouldn't stand for this. 
We shouldn't sit still while this continues.
  I will weigh the nuclear deal carefully when it comes to us, but 
Iran's leaders could send the American people a gesture of goodwill by 
providing more information about Robert Levinson and by freeing Saeed 
Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezaian.
  By the way, Mr. Rezaian is the bureau chief, the Tehran bureau chief 
of The Washington Post, unbelievable that he would be arrested for 
espionage, ludicrous, ridiculous.
  This is a concern all of us share. It doesn't matter where you come 
from in this country or what your political affiliation is. These are 
Americans, and we all want to see these four Americans come home safely 
to their families.
  I applaud this resolution, urge my colleagues to support it, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Engel has shared with you that the government in 
Iran refuses to recognize the U.S. nationality for Jason Rezaian. Jason 
was born in California. He was born a U.S. citizen here in the United 
States, raised in California; and their position is that, no, he is an 
Iranian citizen.
  He was over there to see his grandmother. No, he was over there 
reporting because he wanted to get an opportunity for greater 
understanding of the citizens in Iran.
  The fact that we allow a situation like this to stand, when American 
citizens are being held like this and subjected to show trials, is 
appalling.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global

[[Page 9612]]

Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, and a 
longtime critic of the human rights abuses that have occurred in Iran.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank our distinguished 
chairman and thank both he and Eliot Engel for the leadership that they 
have both shown.
  Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for keeping that focus on all 
issues related to Iran and for doing it so effectively, including and 
especially the human rights abuses that are occurring there each and 
every day.
  Mr. Speaker, the most important duty of the President of the United 
States is to keep Americans safe from harm, whether they are at home or 
abroad. Three innocent Americans continue to be brutalized in Iran 
prisons and trapped in a system of sham trials. A fourth American, 
another innocent man, has been missing from Iran for more than 8 years 
and presumed to also be imprisoned in that country.
  When Americans have been hostages in foreign lands or on foreign 
seas, Presidents from both parties have prioritized their rescue, 
sometimes even asking the finest from our fighting forces to risk their 
lives to save them.
  It is an important question why the President has failed to make the 
release of our fellow Americans his top priority with the Iranian 
regime. How often have we heard the administration speak out, pressure 
being put to bear on the Iranian regime, even as the talks continue on 
the nuclear issue?
  It seems to me I will never forget when Nagameh Abedini came and 
testified at one of Frank Wolf's hearings. She said they told her there 
was nothing they could do for her husband at the U.S. Department of 
State.
  Thankfully, a call to John Kerry by Mr. Wolf, chairman of the Lantos 
committee at the time, did yield fruit; and they did begin to raise his 
name and his calls.
  The President seems to think, however, that the Iranian regime can be 
trusted to keep a nuclear deal and no longer seek to develop and make 
nuclear weapons. I would suggest that a regime that continues to 
imprison our fellow citizens cannot be trusted.
  A regime that so regularly and violently violates human rights and 
basic freedoms of its own people cannot be trusted. A regime that 
sponsors terrorism against other countries as a tool of foreign policy 
cannot be trusted.
  H. Res. 233 makes very clear that Iran should release all detained 
U.S. citizens immediately and provide any information it possesses 
regarding any United States citizens that have disappeared within its 
borders.
  Mr. Speaker, we must remember the husbands and fathers, sons and 
daughters, the families, in addition to those who are being exploited 
and cruelly mistreated.
  I want to thank Chairman Royce for the hearing that he just convened 
a few days ago. We heard from the family members. Their plea was 
impassioned. It was heartbreaking, and it was very, very motivating.
  Imprisoned since 2012, Pastor Abedini, 35 years old, husband of 
Nagameh Abedini--who testified several times before my subcommittee and 
has been an extraordinary champion for his release--father of two 
children, he had returned to Iran to build an orphanage. He had gotten 
prior clearance, told that he could do it. Once he was there, they 
arrested him, and they have mistreated him ever since then.
  Imprisoned since 2012, Amir Hekmati, 31 years old, a former sergeant 
in the U.S. Marine Corps. He had returned to Iran to visit his 
grandmother and other relatives. They scooped him up, and he has been 
mistreated ever since.
  Imprisoned since 2011, Jason Rezaian, 39 years old, Tehran's bureau 
chief for The Washington Post, a reporter who publishes what is going 
on in that regime, he now is facing a trial, a show trial, a sham 
trial.
  Imprisoned since 2014, Robert Levinson, 67 years old, husband, 
father, grandfather, he has been missing in Iran since the year 2007.
  Mr. Speaker, Pastor Abedini, Mr. Hekmati, Mr. Rezaian, and Mr. 
Levinson are all Americans, and they are being, right today, subjected 
to abuse and cruelty. They are all prisoners or missing in Iran.
  We call on the administration to retriple its efforts to secure their 
release.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to 
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who has been the staunchest 
supporter of getting these people free, who has raised this issue so 
many times, and who is the author of this resolution.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking Chairman Royce 
for his efforts on this resolution and my friend Ranking Member Engel, 
as well, for his efforts, along with the 201 Members of this body who 
have cosponsored this, most particularly Mr. Deutch, Mr. Huffman, and 
Mr. Labrador, who have worked with me and my staff in preparing this 
resolution.
  I want to speak briefly about Amir Hekmati, my constituent, a young 
man who is an American citizen, born in the United States, raised in my 
hometown of Flint, Michigan, served in the United States Marine Corps. 
He is a brother; he is a son; he is a Michigander.
  Back in 2011, for the first time, he traveled to Iran to visit his 
grandmother, as has been said. He notified the Iranian Government that 
he was going to Iran. He traveled under his own name. He disclosed his 
history as a member of the United States Marine Corps.
  He was in Iran for almost 3 weeks when he was apprehended. Initially 
tried and convicted and sentenced to death for espionage, that sentence 
was later set aside, but he continues to languish in Evin Prison, 
serving a 10-year sentence.
  I want the world to know about Amir. I want people to know his name, 
just as we want the world to know the names of Jason Rezaian, Saeed 
Abedini, and Bob Levinson. These are real people. Amir is a real 
person. He grew up in my hometown of Flint, like me, played high school 
hockey.
  It is important that we remember these names. These are individuals. 
They are not just pawns in a geopolitical struggle between Iran and the 
rest of the world. They are individuals. They are people. They have 
families. They feel pain. They suffer.
  Amir Hekmati has been in Evin Prison for 1,386 days. It is long past 
time for him to be reunited with his family. He has committed no crime; 
yet he continues to sit in that prison, in a dark cell.
  If Iran is serious about rejoining the community of nations, about 
being a member of the international community, they will release--
immediately release--Amir Hekmati and the other Americans that they 
hold.
  That is why it is so important that this House pass this resolution 
and speak for the American people with one voice. We have lots of 
disagreements in this place.
  There should be no question here in the United States, across the 
world, but especially within the Iranian Government and among the 
Iranian people, there should be no question that this body, this House 
of Representatives, which often disagrees, has no disagreement on the 
question of these Americans.
  If Iran wants to be taken seriously, if anything they do, if any 
engagement that they have with the world, whether it is a nuclear 
agreement or economic engagement, if any of that is to be legitimate, 
they cannot hold political prisoners; and they need to take action to 
release Amir Hekmati and the other Americans that they hold.
  Now, the fact that the P5+1 negotiations are underway does give us 
space for something that we haven't had in 35 years, and that is 
bilateral discussion on the sidelines of those nuclear agreements, but 
while it does provide the moment, there is one point that I do want to 
make, and others have spoken to this.
  It is difficult to imagine taking any agreement with them seriously 
as long as Iran holds these Americans, but it is also important that we 
keep in mind that we never want to be in a position where, as part of a 
transaction with

[[Page 9613]]

Iran, we exchange the freedom of these Americans for a concession at 
the nuclear negotiating table, a concession that may make the world a 
less safe place.
  We don't want that, and I know that Amir Hekmati, through his family, 
has communicated to us that he does not want to be exchanged for 
anything.
  I think it is fair, as Members have said, that Congress considers all 
of Iran's behavior when considering any engagement with them, whether 
it is a nuclear agreement or anything else.
  When I have spoken to the President and the Vice President or Wendy 
Sherman or Samantha Power, our U.N. representative, I have made it 
clear to them that, while it is important that we get our Americans 
home, we don't want to see the world become a less safe place in 
exchange for the freedom of innocent people. They have agreed with 
that, and they have shared that with the Iranian Government at every 
opportunity.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. KILDEE. I thank my friend.
  Simple point, Congress, today, will speak with one voice and say to 
the Iranian people, say to the world, that these Americans--this 
resolution will say, with absolute clarity, that if Iran expects to be 
treated as a member of the international community, they will 
unilaterally release these Americans.
  It would advance their cause, presumably, of joining the global 
community. It would send a strong message to the rest of the world and 
to the United States and to this Congress that they can and should be 
taken seriously, but it is very difficult to imagine doing that if they 
continue to hold Amir Hekmati and the other Americans they hold.
  I just want to reiterate my gratitude to Chairman Royce and Ranking 
Member Engel and the whole committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
and the whole House for their support of this. The families of these 
individuals, I know, appreciate it very deeply, and I do as well.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman), a Member who has also been 
fighting for his constituent, who has brought this issue up with us so 
many times, who has been unyielding in trying to get freedom for all 
the hostages.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I do want to start by thanking Chairman 
Royce and Ranking Member Engel for moving this bill forward; and a huge 
thanks to my great colleague from Michigan, Representative Kildee, he 
has been described as tireless and courageous and relentless. He is all 
of that and more in working to highlight the injustice that these 
American detainees are facing in Iran.

                              {time}  1645

  One of these detainees, Jason Rezaian, has been mentioned as having 
grown up in California. He actually grew up in my district. I have 
gotten to know his family. And in some way, I feel like I have gotten 
to know Jason--at least a little bit--through this tragic situation. So 
I know something about the terrible hardship that he and his family 
have been going through for this past year.
  It is with that unconscionable level of hardship in mind that I am 
proud to join with my colleagues in working to make sure that Congress 
does everything that it can to secure Jason's safe release and also the 
safe release of these other unjustly detained Americans.
  Passing this resolution on a bipartisan basis is one of the most 
important things that we can do to reaffirm to the Iranian regime that 
the whole world is watching.
  Jason Rezaian was The Washington Post Tehran bureau chief when he was 
arrested in Tehran on July 22 last year. He has now been held twice as 
long as any previous western journalist in Iran.
  The circumstances under which he has been held are an absolute 
mockery of justice. There has never been any evidence brought against 
him. For 9 months, there were no charges brought against him publicly. 
Jason was denied the most basic rights: denied access to a lawyer for 
months, denied bail after he was charged, and held in solitary 
confinement after his investigation ended.
  Jason's family members and his fellow journalists have been fierce 
advocates for his freedom. I hope that the passage of this resolution 
today will make the sentiment of Congress very clear: that Iran should 
immediately release Jason Rezaian and the other detained Americans.
  Whatever issues or disagreements that we may have about broader 
issues involving Iran, it is important that we are able to speak today 
with one voice for the Americans who are unjustly detained and for 
their families. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my great pleasure to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch), one of the senior 
members of our Foreign Affairs Committee, the ranking member on the 
Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, and someone whom I turn to 
very often for advice and counsel, who has been a clear and effective 
voice in trying to bring our hostages home.
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the ranking member, for 
yielding. I thank the chairman. I especially went to thank my friend 
and colleague from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for spearheading this 
resolution and for his tireless efforts to bring back his constituent. 
And I want to thank the fellow original cosponsors, Mr. Huffman and Mr. 
Labrador.
  Each of us here has the solemn responsibility to represent the 
families of these American citizens--in this case, our constituents who 
are missing or held in Iran. Each of us has seen the suffering of these 
families firsthand. We have also seen a remarkable strength of purpose 
as they live this real-life nightmare and do everything they can to 
bring their loved ones home.
  For the family of Robert Levinson, my constituent, 8 years is 8 years 
too long not to have their husband, their father, and their grandfather 
home.
  Bob Levinson went missing on Iran's Kish Island on March 9, 2007. 
Since his disappearance, the Levinson family has received proof of life 
in the form of pictures and videos. Iran's leaders have never provided 
any information about Bob's disappearance, despite repeated pledges to 
aid in the investigation.
  As negotiations with Iran have taken place over the past year and a 
half, many of us have doubts about the ability to trust Iran to follow 
through on the terms of any nuclear deal. We distrust because we have 
seen this regime time and again lie to the international community, 
support the world's worst actors and terrorists, destabilize the 
region, deny history, and chant ``death to America.'' So if Iran wants 
to be taken seriously by the international community, then it must 
start by dropping the bogus charges and releasing Amir Hekmati, Saeed 
Abedini, and Jason Rezaian; and immediately assist in locating and 
returning Bob Levinson.
  Mr. Speaker, we are just weeks away from the June 30 deadline for a 
nuclear deal. We are grateful that the Secretary and the other 
negotiators have raised this issue inside meetings.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ENGEL. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. DEUTCH. But we have enormous leverage right now, and we must use 
it for Jason Rezaian, for Saeed Abedini, for Amir Hekmati, and for my 
constituent Bob Levinson.
  If Iran wants the world to believe what it says at the negotiating 
table, if it expects the world to trust any of the commitments that it 
will make or promises to make in a nuclear deal, then it should send 
these Americans home.
  By passing this bipartisan resolution today, we will show the world 
that this is an issue that transcends politics. We

[[Page 9614]]

gather here today in the United States House of Representatives, the 
people's House, to show that Members of Congress and the American 
people are united in demanding the safe return of these four Americans. 
Mr. Speaker, it is time to bring them home.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I, again, urge my colleagues to 
support this resolution at this critical time.
  I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), for 
his work on this.
  We are in the final days of the nuclear negotiations, as has been 
mentioned before, with Iran. And as the families of these Americans 
point out, when these negotiations are over, if we do nothing, so too 
may be the chance of the United States to engage directly with Iran 
over the fate of their family members. So we must not let this 
opportunity go to waste.
  We call on Iran to release Amir Hekmati, Jason Rezaian, Saeed 
Abedini, and Robert Levinson; to live up to their pledge to provide 
further information about Robert Levinson; and to bring these men home 
to their families.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As I have made clear before, I have serious reservations about the 
direction of our negotiations with Iran, and this is based in no small 
part on its treatment of the four Americans we are speaking about today 
and what that predicts going forward.
  Let's not forget, this is a regime--and we can turn on the set and 
watch their rallies--where regularly the chant ``death to America'' is 
used to rouse the most fervent supporters of the Supreme Leader. This 
is a regime that has killed its own citizens outright or convicted and 
imprisoned them based on confessions obtained by torture. This is a 
regime that takes U.S. citizens into captivity, tortures them, and then 
denies them medical treatment, denies them basic legal representation, 
denies them due process.
  Last month, just prior to Jason's so-called trial, Washington Post 
editor Martin Baron issued a compelling statement, and I will read part 
of it:
  ``It's worth recalling what kind of system we're dealing with. Jason 
was arrested without charges. He was imprisoned in Iran's worst prison. 
He was placed in isolation for many months and denied medical care he 
needed. His case was assigned to a judge internationally notorious for 
human rights violations. He could not select the lawyer of his 
choosing. He was given only an hour and a half to meet with a lawyer 
approved by the court. No evidence has ever been produced by 
prosecutors or the court to support these absurd charges. The trial 
date was only disclosed to Jason's lawyer last week. And now, 
unsurprisingly but unforgivably, it turns out the trial will be 
closed.''
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of these facts. 
Faced with this, those making the case that Iran will be transparent 
with the international community on inspections that will be part of 
any nuclear deal seem to be thinking about the Iran they want, not the 
one in actuality, the one that is brutalizing Americans.
  Nuclear deal or not, these Americans deserve to be back with their 
families today.
  I urge all Members to support this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of H. Res. 233, I rise to 
encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution urging 
Iran to release all American citizens currently being illegally held in 
that country. This resolution also urges the immediate release of 
information about any other American citizens who have disappeared 
within Iran's borders. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stated 
publically that his government wishes to engage in a constructive 
interaction with the world. This resolution challenges President 
Rouhani to back up his words with action. If the Iranian people want to 
earn the trust of the American people, they must honor their 
commitments and keep their word. Americans Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, 
Jason Rezaian and Robert Levinson have been unjustly held against their 
will in Iran for years. This resolution urges Iran to do the right 
thing and release them so that they can come home and rejoin their 
families.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 233.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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