II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3028 

To continue in effect certain Executive orders imposing sanctions with respect 

to Iran, to prevent the waiver of certain sanctions imposed by the 

United States with respect to Iran until the Government of Iran ceases 

to attempt to assassinate United States officials, other United States 

citizens, and Iranian nationals residing in the United States, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 4, 2023 

Ms. ERNST (for herself, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. HAGERTY, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. RUBIO, 

Mr. CRAMER, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. 

WICKER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. THUNE, Mrs. BRITT, and Mr. 

BARRASSO) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To continue in effect certain Executive orders imposing sanctions with respect to Iran, to prevent the waiver of 

certain sanctions imposed by the United States with 

respect to Iran until the Government of Iran ceases 

to attempt to assassinate United States officials, other 

United States citizens, and Iranian nationals residing 

in the United States, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Under3 handed and Nefarious Iranian Supported Homicides Act 

4 of 2023’’ or the ‘‘PUNISH Act of 2023’’. 

5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act: 

7 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT8 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com9 mittees’’ means— 

10 (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

11 Committee on Foreign Relations, the Com12 mittee on Appropriations, and the Select Com13 mittee on Intelligence of the Senate; and 

14 (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

15 Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee 

16 on Appropriations, and the Permanent Select 

17 Committee on Intelligence of the House of Rep18 resentatives. 

19 (2) COVERED EXECUTIVE ORDER.—The term 

20 ‘‘covered Executive order’’ means any of the fol21 lowing: 

22 (A) Executive Order 13871 (50 U.S.C. 

23 1701 note; relating to imposing sanctions with 

24 respect to the iron, steel, aluminum, and copper 

25 sectors of Iran), as in effect on May 10, 2019. 


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1 (B) Executive Order 13876 (50 U.S.C. 

2 1701 note; relating to imposing sanctions with 

3 respect to Iran), as in effect on June 24, 2019. 

4 (C) Executive Order 13902 (50 U.S.C. 

5 1701 note; relating to imposing sanctions with 

6 respect to additional sectors of Iran), as in ef7 fect on January 10, 2020. 

8 (D) Executive Order 13949 (50 U.S.C. 

9 1701 note; relating to blocking property of cer10 tain persons with respect to the conventional 

11 arms activities of Iran), as in effect on Sep12 tember 21, 2020. 

13 (3) COVERED PROVISION OF LAW.—The term 

14 ‘‘covered provision of law’’ means any of the fol15 lowing: 

16 (A) This Act. 

17 (B) Each covered Executive order. 

18 (C) The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (Pub19 lic Law 104–172; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note). 

20 (D) The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, 

21 Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 

22 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.). 

23 (E) Section 1245 of the National Defense 

24 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (22 

25 U.S.C. 8513a). 


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1 (F) The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria 

2 Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8701 et 

3 seq.). 

4 (G) The Iran Freedom and Counter-Pro5 liferation Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8801 et seq.). 

6 (H) Title I of the Countering America’s 

7 Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 

8 9401 et seq.). 

9 (I) The International Emergency Economic 

10 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq). 

11 (4) GOVERNMENT OF IRAN.—The term ‘‘Gov12 ernment of Iran’’ includes— 

13 (A) any agency or instrumentality of the 

14 Government of Iran; and 

15 (B) any person owned or controlled by that 

16 Government. 

17 SEC. 3. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF CERTAIN EXECUTIVE 

18 ORDERS IMPOSING SANCTIONS WITH RE19 SPECT TO IRAN. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each covered Executive order 

21 shall remain in effect and continue to apply, and may not 

22 be modified, until the termination date described in section 

23 10. 

24 (b) CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF SANCTIONS DES25 IGNATIONS.—With respect to each person designated for 


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1 the imposition of sanctions pursuant to a covered Execu2 tive order before the date of the enactment of this Act, 

3 the designation of the person, and sanctions applicable to 

4 the person pursuant to the designation, shall remain in 

5 effect and continue to apply, and may not be modified, 

6 until the termination date described in section 10. 

7 (c) PUBLICATION.—In publishing this Act in slip 

8 form and in the United States Statutes at Large pursuant 

9 to section 112 of title 1, United States Code, the Archivist 

10 of the United States shall include at the end an appendix 

11 setting forth the text of each covered Executive order. 

12 SEC. 4. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF NATIONAL EMER13 GENCIES DECLARED WITH RESPECT TO IRAN. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 

15 (a)(2) or (d) of section 202 of the National Emergencies 

16 Act (50 U.S.C. 1622), the national emergencies specified 

17 in subsection (b) shall remain in effect and continue to 

18 apply, and may not be modified, until the termination date 

19 described in section 10. 

20 (b) NATIONAL EMERGENCIES SPECIFIED.—The na21 tional emergencies specified in this subsection are the fol22 lowing national emergencies declared with respect to Iran: 

23 (1) The national emergency declared by Execu24 tive Order 12170 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 

25 blocking Iranian Government property) and most reVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Oct 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3028.IS S3028

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1 cently continued by the Notice of the President 

2 issued November 8, 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 68,013). 

3 (2) The national emergency declared by Execu4 tive Order 12957 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 

5 prohibiting certain transactions with respect to the 

6 development of Iranian petroleum resources) and 

7 most recently continued by the Notice of the Presi8 dent issued March 10, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 15,595). 

9 SEC. 5. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF SANCTIONS WITH RE10 SPECT TO THE CENTRAL BANK OF IRAN, THE 

11 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND OF IRAN, 

12 THE ETEMAD TEJARTE PARS COMPANY, THE 

13 NATIONAL IRANIAN OIL COMPANY, AND THE 

14 NATIONAL IRANIAN TANKER COMPANY 

15 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 13224. 

16 With respect to each Iranian person designated on 

17 January 1, 2021, for the imposition of sanctions under 

18 Executive Order 13224 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 

19 blocking property and prohibiting transactions with per20 sons who commit, threaten to commit, or support ter21 rorism), as in effect on September 9, 2019, the designa22 tion of the person, and sanctions applicable to the person 

23 pursuant to the designation, shall remain in effect and 

24 continue to apply, and may not be modified, until the ter25 mination date described in section 10. 


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1 SEC. 6. CONTINUATION IN EFFECT OF FOREIGN TER2 RORIST ORGANIZATION DESIGNATION OF 

3 THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD 

4 CORPS. 

5 The designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard 

6 Corps as a foreign terrorist organization under section 

7 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

8 1189), and sanctions applicable to the Islamic Revolu9 tionary Guard Corps pursuant to that designation, shall 

10 remain in effect and continue to apply, and may not be 

11 modified, until the termination date described in section 

12 10. 

13 SEC. 7. PROHIBITION ON SANCTIONS RELIEF FOR IRANIAN 

14 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING WITH 

15 RESPECT TO PETROLEUM PURCHASES FROM 

16 IRAN. 

17 Section 1245(d) of the National Defense Authoriza18 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8513a(d)) is 

19 amended by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(4) LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY.—The Presi22 dent may not exercise the authority under paragraph 

23 (5) to waive the imposition of sanctions under para24 graph (1), or issue any license to authorize the pur25 chase of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran, 

26 unless the determination set forth in the most recent 


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1 report submitted under subsection (a) of section 9 of 

2 the Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian 

3 Supported Homicides Act of 2023 was a determina4 tion that the Government of Iran has not engaged 

5 in any of activities described in subsection (b) of 

6 that section during the 5-year period preceding sub7 mission of the report.’’. 

8 SEC. 8. LIMITATION ON WAIVER, SUSPENSION, OR REDUC9 TION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO IRAN. 

10 The President may not waive, suspend, reduce, pro11 vide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of sanc12 tions imposed pursuant to any covered provision of law 

13 unless, in addition to the requirements for a waiver under 

14 that provision of law, the determination set forth in the 

15 most recent report submitted under subsection (a) of sec16 tion 9 was a determination that the Government of Iran 

17 has not engaged in any of activities described in subsection 

18 (b) of that section during the 5-year period preceding sub19 mission of the report. 


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1 SEC. 9. DETERMINATION ON THE CESSATION OF IRANIAN2 SPONSORED ASSASSINATIONS OR AT3 TEMPTED ASSASSINATIONS OF UNITED 

4 STATES CITIZENS AND IRANIAN RESIDENTS 

5 OF THE UNITED STATES. 

6 (a) DETERMINATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 

7 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

8 every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of State, in con9 sultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Director of 

10 National Intelligence, and the Secretary of the Treasury, 

11 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

12 a report setting forth a determination of whether the Gov13 ernment of Iran or any foreign person (including any for14 eign financial institution) has directly or indirectly or15 dered, controlled, directed, or otherwise supported (includ16 ing through the use of Iranian agents or affiliates of the 

17 Government of Iran, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Kata’ib 

18 Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or any other entity 

19 determined to be such an agent or affiliate) any of the 

20 activities described in subsection (b) during the 5-year pe21 riod preceding submission of the report. 

22 (b) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—The activities de23 scribed in this subsection are— 

24 (1) the murder, attempted murder, assault, or 

25 other use or threat to use violence against— 


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1 (A) any current or former official of the 

2 Government of the United States, wherever lo3 cated; 

4 (B) any United States citizen or alien law5 fully admitted for permanent residence in the 

6 United States, wherever located; or 

7 (C) any Iranian national residing in the 

8 United States; or 

9 (2) the politically motivated intimidation, abuse, 

10 extortion, or detention or trial— 

11 (A) in Iran, of a United States citizen or 

12 alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence 

13 in the United States; or 

14 (B) outside of Iran, of an Iranian national 

15 or resident or individual of Iranian origin. 

16 SEC. 10. TERMINATION DATE. 

17 The termination date described in this section is the 

18 date that is 30 days after the date on which the President 

19 submits to Congress the certification described in section 

20 401(a) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Account21 ability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8551(a)). 

Æ 


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