II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5643 

To impose sanctions with respect to the Government of Tu ̈rkiye, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 20 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Mr. GRAHAM (for himself and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To impose sanctions with respect to the Government of 

Tu ̈rkiye, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

Sec. 4. Imposition of sanctions with respect to the Government of Tu ̈rkiye. 

Sec. 5. Imposition of sanctions with respect to financial institutions that facilitate transactions for Turkish Armed Forces. 

Sec. 6. Imposition of sanctions with respect to energy production in Syria. 


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Sec. 7. Imposition of CAATSA section 231 sanctions against the Government 

of Tu ̈rkiye. 

Sec. 8. Prohibition on United States military assistance to Turkish Armed 

Forces. 

Sec. 9. Prohibition on purchases of Turkish sovereign debt by United States 

persons. 

Sec. 10. Exceptions. 

Sec. 11. Implementation; penalties. 

Sec. 12. Exception to comply with international obligations. 

Sec. 13. Termination authority. 

1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 It is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the presence of United States troops within 

4 Syria is critical to the safety of the United States 

5 and allies and partners of the United States; 

6 (2) the United States should continue to work 

7 with the Syrian Kurdish communities that have been 

8 key partners of the United States in the ongoing 

9 fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria 

10 (commonly known as ‘‘ISIS’’); 

11 (3) the Syrian Democratic Forces oversee more 

12 than 20 detention facilities in Syria that contain 

13 thousands of ISIS fighters; 

14 (4) attacks on the Syrian Democratic Forces by 

15 the Government of Tu ̈rkiye or Turkish-backed forces 

16 jeopardize United States interests in the region and 

17 risk the reemergence of ISIS, which would threaten 

18 the homeland and allies and partners of the United 

19 States across the globe; and 


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1 (5) the United States Government should work, 

2 through diplomatic means, with the Government of 

3 Tu ̈rkiye to help facilitate a sustained ceasefire and 

4 a demilitarized zone along the border between 

5 Tu ̈rkiye and Syria, particularly the city of Kobani. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 

9 and ‘‘alien’’ have the meanings given those terms in 

10 section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

11 (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

12 (2) FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘fi13 nancial institution’’ means a financial institution 

14 specified in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), 

15 (F), (G), (H), (I), (J), (M), or (Y) of section 

16 5312(a)(2) of title 31, United States Code. 

17 (3) FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The 

18 term ‘‘foreign financial institution’’ has the meaning 

19 given that term in regulations prescribed by the Sec20 retary of the Treasury. 

21 (4) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per22 son’’ means an individual or entity that is not a 

23 United States person. 

24 (5) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 

25 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 


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1 means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 

2 have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 

3 result. 

4 (6) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

5 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

6 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law7 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

8 United States; or 

9 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

10 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

11 United States, including a foreign branch of 

12 such an entity. 

13 SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 

14 GOVERNMENT OF TU ̈ RKIYE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 days after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days there17 after, the President shall— 

18 (1) impose the sanctions described in subsection 

19 (c) with respect to— 

20 (A) each official of the Government of 

21 Tu ̈rkiye described in subsection (b); 

22 (B) any foreign person that the President 

23 determines knowingly sells, otherwise provides, 

24 or conducts a transaction to provide, financial, 


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1 material, or technological support to the Turk2 ish Armed Forces, including— 

3 (i) aircraft, aircraft parts, or machin4 ery, equipment, or services used by the 

5 Turkish Air Force; 

6 (ii) aircraft or automotive machinery, 

7 equipment, or services used by the Turkish 

8 Land Forces; 

9 (iii) vessels, aircraft, equipment, or 

10 services used by the Turkish Navy; and 

11 (iv) defense articles, services, tech12 nology, or materials used by the Turkish 

13 Armed Forces; and 

14 (C) any foreign person that the President 

15 determines knowingly supplies goods, services, 

16 technology, information, or other support that 

17 maintains or supports the production of crude 

18 oil, natural gas, or refined petroleum or natural 

19 gas products, in Tu ̈rkiye for use by the Turkish 

20 Armed Forces; and 

21 (2) prohibit any United States person from en22 gaging in any transaction with a person described in 

23 paragraph (1). 


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1 (b) OFFICIALS DESCRIBED.—An official of the Gov2 ernment of Tu ̈rkiye described in this subsection is any of 

3 the following: 

4 (1) The President of the Government of 

5 Tu ̈rkiye. 

6 (2) The Vice President of the Government of 

7 Tu ̈rkiye. 

8 (3) The Minister of National Defense of the 

9 Government of Tu ̈rkiye. 

10 (4) The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Gov11 ernment of Tu ̈rkiye. 

12 (5) The Minister of Treasury and Finance of 

13 the Government of Tu ̈rkiye. 

14 (6) The Minister of Trade of the Government 

15 of Tu ̈rkiye. 

16 (7) The Minister of Energy and Natural Re17 sources of the Government of Tu ̈rkiye. 

18 (8) The Chief of the National Intelligence Orga19 nization of the Government of Tu ̈rkiye. 

20 (9) Any other official of the Government of 

21 Tu ̈rkiye that the President determines should be 

22 subject to sanctions under subsection (a). 

23 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de24 scribed in this subsection are the following: 

25 (1) PROPERTY BLOCKING.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The exercise of all pow2 ers granted to the President by the Inter3 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 

4 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to 

5 block and prohibit all transactions in property 

6 and interests in property described in subpara7 graph (B), if such property and interests in 

8 property are in the United States, come within 

9 the United States, or are or come within the 

10 possession or control of a United States person. 

11 (B) PROPERTY DESCRIBED.—The property 

12 and interests in property described in this sub13 paragraph are— 

14 (i) property and interests in property 

15 of a person determined by the President to 

16 be subject to subsection (a)(1); and 

17 (ii) property and interests in property 

18 of any other individual, if a person subject 

19 to subsection (a)(1) transferred the prop20 erty or interests in property to the indi21 vidual after the date on which the Presi22 dent imposed sanctions under this section 

23 with respect to the person. 

24 (2) ALIENS INADMISSIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS25 SION, PAROLE.— 


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1 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

2 alien described in subsection (a)(1) is— 

3 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

4 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

5 documentation to enter the United States; 

6 and 

7 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

8 or paroled into the United States or to re9 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra10 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

11 seq.). 

12 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

13 (i) IN GENERAL.—The visa or other 

14 entry documentation of an official specified 

15 in subsection (b) shall be revoked, regard16 less of when such visa or other entry docu17 mentation is or was issued. 

18 (ii) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revoca19 tion under clause (i) shall— 

20 (I) take effect immediately; and 

21 (II) automatically cancel any 

22 other valid visa or entry documenta23 tion that is in the possession of such 

24 official. 


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1 SEC. 5. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FI2 NANCIAL INSTITUTIONS THAT FACILITATE 

3 TRANSACTIONS FOR TURKISH ARMED 

4 FORCES. 

5 If the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with 

6 the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the 

7 Director of National Intelligence, determines that any for8 eign financial institution has knowingly facilitated trans9 actions for the Turkish Armed Forces or defense industry 

10 in Tu ̈rkiye relating to the military operations of Tu ̈rkiye 

11 in Syria, the President shall, not later than 60 days after 

12 that determination— 

13 (1) impose the sanctions described in section 

14 4(c) with respect to that financial institution; and 

15 (2) prohibit any United States person from en16 gaging in any transaction with that financial institu17 tion. 

18 SEC. 6. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO EN19 ERGY PRODUCTION IN SYRIA. 

20 On and after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

21 the President shall— 

22 (1) impose the sanctions described in section 

23 4(c) with respect to any foreign person that the 

24 President determines knowingly sells or provides sig25 nificant goods, services, technology, information, or 

26 other support that significantly facilitates the mainVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jan 28, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5643.IS S5643

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1 tenance or expansion of the production of natural 

2 gas, petroleum, or petroleum products in Syria for 

3 use by the Russian Federation, Iran, Tu ̈rkiye, or 

4 Turkish-backed militias; and 

5 (2) prohibit any United States person from en6 gaging in any transaction with a person described in 

7 paragraph (1). 

8 SEC. 7. IMPOSITION OF CAATSA SECTION 231 SANCTIONS 

9 AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF TU ̈ RKIYE. 

10 (a) DETERMINATION.—For the purposes of section 

11 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through 

12 Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9525), Tu ̈rkiye’s acquisition of 

13 the Russian S–400 air and missile defense system begin14 ning July 12, 2019, shall be considered to be a significant 

15 transaction described in such section. 

16 (b) SANCTIONS.—Not later than 30 days after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall im18 pose, under section 231 of the Countering America’s Ad19 versaries Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9525), 5 or 

20 more sanctions described in section 235 of that Act ( 22 

21 U.S.C. 9529) with respect to the Government of Tu ̈rkiye, 

22 which shall be in addition to the sanctions imposed with 

23 respect to the Government of Tu ̈rkiye under such section 

24 231 as of such date of enactment. 


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1 SEC. 8. PROHIBITION ON UNITED STATES MILITARY AS2 SISTANCE TO TURKISH ARMED FORCES. 

3 (a) PROHIBITION ON TRANSFERS.—The President 

4 shall prohibit the transfer of defense articles and services 

5 under section 21 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 

6 U.S.C. 2761) to the Turkish Armed Forces. 

7 (b) NO USE OF EMERGENCY AUTHORITIES.—The 

8 authority of the President to waive statutory congressional 

9 review periods under the Arms Export Control Act ( 22 

10 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) in cases in which an emergency exists 

11 shall not apply to the transfer of defense articles or serv12 ices to Tu ̈rkiye. 

13 SEC. 9. PROHIBITION ON PURCHASES OF TURKISH SOV14 EREIGN DEBT BY UNITED STATES PERSONS. 

15 The President shall prescribe regulations prohibiting 

16 any United States person from purchasing sovereign debt 

17 of the Government of Tu ̈rkiye. 

18 SEC. 10. EXCEPTIONS. 

19 (a) SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE OF TU ̈RKIYE.—This Act 

20 shall not apply with respect to— 

21 (1) the provision of humanitarian assistance 

22 (including medical assistance) to the people of 

23 Tu ̈rkiye; or 

24 (2) efforts to promote democracy in Tu ̈rkiye, 

25 including through providing election assistance. 

26 (b) INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—This Act shall not apply 

2 with respect to activities subject to the reporting re3 quirements under title V of the National Security 

4 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.), or any au5 thorized intelligence activities of the United States. 

6 (2) REQUIREMENT.—Activities carried out 

7 under the exception under paragraph (1) may not be 

8 carried out in a manner that provides the Govern9 ment of Tu ̈rkiye with targeting data regarding the 

10 location or disposition of Syrian Democratic Forces. 

11 (c) EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF

12 GOODS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and require14 ments to impose sanctions authorized under this Act 

15 shall not include the authority or requirement to im16 pose sanctions on the importation of goods. 

17 (2) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subsection, the 

18 term ‘‘good’’ means any article, natural or manmade 

19 substance, material, supply or manufactured prod20 uct, including inspection and test equipment, and ex21 cluding technical data. 

22 SEC. 11. IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES. 

23 (a) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may exercise 

24 all authorities provided to the President under sections 

25 203 and 205 of the International Emergency Economic 


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1 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this 

2 Act. 

3 (b) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, attempts to 

4 violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this 

5 Act or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry out 

6 this Act shall be subject to the penalties set forth in sub7 sections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International 

8 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the 

9 same extent as a person that commits an unlawful act de10 scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 

11 SEC. 12. EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTERNATIONAL 

12 OBLIGATIONS. 

13 Sanctions under this Act shall not apply to the admis14 sion of an alien if the admission of that alien is necessary 

15 to comply with United States obligations under the Agree16 ment between the United Nations and the United States 

17 of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Na18 tions, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 

19 into force November 21, 1947, under the Convention on 

20 Consular Relations, done at Vienna April 24, 1963, and 

21 entered into force March 19, 1967, or under other inter22 national agreements. 

23 SEC. 13. TERMINATION AUTHORITY. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President may terminate the 

25 application of sanctions, prohibitions, restrictions, and 


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1 penalties under this Act if the President certifies to Con2 gress that— 

3 (1) the Government of Tu ̈rkiye, the Syrian Na4 tional Army, and other militias supported by the 

5 Government of Tu ̈rkiye have halted attacks against 

6 the Syrian Kurdish community and other commu7 nities affected by Turkish or Turkish-backed mili8 tary operations; 

9 (2) Turkish forces, Syrian National Army 

10 forces, and other militias supported by the Govern11 ment of Tu ̈rkiye not involved in coordinated oper12 ations with members of the North Atlantic Treaty 

13 Organization or the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, 

14 have withdrawn from all locations in Syria that they 

15 did not occupy before the launch of any action 

16 against the Syrian Democratic Forces on November 

17 27, 2024; and 

18 (3) the Government of Tu ̈rkiye, the Syrian Na19 tional Army, and other militias supported by the 

20 Government of Tu ̈rkiye are not hindering counter21 terrorism operations against ISIS. 

22 (b) REIMPOSITION.—If the Government of Tu ̈rkiye 

23 violates paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a) after 

24 the submission of a certification described in subsection 


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1 (a), the President shall reimpose sanctions, prohibitions, 

2 restrictions, and penalties as described in this Act. 

Æ 


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