I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4744 

To impose additional sanctions with respect to serious human rights abuses 

of the Government of Iran, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2018 

Mr. MCCAUL (for himself, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. ROYCE of California, and Mr. 

ENGEL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To impose additional sanctions with respect to serious human 

rights abuses of the Government of Iran, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Iran Human Rights 

5 and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLA7 TIONS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Iran is a member of the United Nations, 

2 voted for the Universal Declaration of Human 

3 Rights, and is a signatory to the International Cov4 enant on Civil and Political Rights, among other 

5 international human rights treaties. 

6 (2) In violation of these and other international 

7 obligations, Iranian regime officials continue to vio8 late the fundamental human rights of the Iranian 

9 people. 

10 (3) The Iranian regime persecutes ethnic and 

11 religious minority groups, such as the Baha’is, 

12 Christians, Sufi, Sunni, and dissenting Shi’a Mus13 lims (such as imprisoned Ayatollah Hossein 

14 Kazemeyni Boroujerdi), through harassment, ar15 rests, and imprisonment, during which detainees 

16 have routinely been beaten, tortured, and killed. 

17 (4) Following voting irregularities that resulted 

18 in the 2009 election of President Mahmoud 

19 Ahmadinejad, the Iranian regime brutally sup20 pressed peaceful political dissent from wide segments 

21 of civil society during the Green Revolution in a cyn22 ical attempt to retain its undemocratic grip on 

23 power. 

24 (5) Since February 2011 the leaders of Iran’s 

25 Green Movement, former Prime Minister Mir 


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1 Hossein Mousavi, his wife Dr. Zahra Rahnavard, 

2 and former Speaker of the Majles (parliament) 

3 Mehdi Karroubi, have lived under strict house ar4 rest, ordered by Iran’s Supreme National Security 

5 Council. 

6 (6) In 1999 the Iranian regime brutally sup7 pressed a student revolt that was one of the largest 

8 mass uprisings up until that point in the country 

9 since 1979. 

10 (7) Over a 4-month period in 1988, the Iranian 

11 regime carried out the barbaric mass executions of 

12 thousands of political prisoners. 

13 (8) Senior governmental, military, and public 

14 security officials in Iran have continued ordering, 

15 controlling, and committing egregious human rights 

16 violations that, in many cases, represent official poli17 cies of the Iranian regime. 

18 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 

19 Congress that the United States should— 

20 (1) deny the Government of Iran the ability to 

21 continue to oppress the people of Iran and to use vi22 olence and executions to silence pro-democracy 

23 protestors; 

24 (2) support efforts made by the people of Iran 

25 to promote the establishment of basic freedoms that 


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1 build the foundation for the emergence of a freely 

2 elected, open, non-corrupt and democratic political 

3 system; and 

4 (3) help the people of Iran produce, access, and 

5 share information freely and safely via the internet 

6 and other media. 

7 (c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 

8 of the United States to stand with the people of Iran who 

9 seek the opportunity to freely elect a government of their 

10 choosing, and increase the utilization of all available au11 thorities to impose sanctions on officials of the Govern12 ment of Iran and other individuals responsible for serious 

13 human rights abuses. 

14 SEC. 3. DETERMINATIONS WITH RESPECT TO IMPOSITION 

15 OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN PERSONS RE16 SPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT IN HUMAN 

17 RIGHTS ABUSES, ENGAGING IN CENSORSHIP, 

18 ENGAGING IN THE DIVERSION OF GOODS IN19 TENDED FOR THE PEOPLE OF IRAN, OR EN20 GAGING IN CORRUPTION. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 

23 (or more frequently if the President determines it appro24 priate based on new information received by the Presi25 dent) for the following 4 years, the President shall submit 


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1 to the appropriate congressional committees a report con2 taining a determination of whether any senior officials of 

3 the Government of Iran or other Iranian persons meet the 

4 criteria described in— 

5 (1) section 105(b), 105A(b), 105B(b), or 

6 105C(b) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Ac7 countability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 

8 8514(b), 8514a(b), 8514b(b), or 8514c(b)), or sub9 section (b) of section 105D of such Act (as added 

10 by section 5 of this Act); or 

11 (2) paragraph (3) or (4) of section 1263(a) of 

12 the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

13 Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 

14 note). 

15 (b) FORM OF REPORT; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 

16 (1) FORM.—The report required under sub17 section (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

18 but may contain a classified annex. 

19 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclassified 

20 portion of such report shall be made available to the 

21 public and posted on the internet website of the De22 partment of the Treasury— 

23 (A) in English, Farsi, Arabic, and Azeri; 

24 and 


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1 (B) in precompressed, easily downloadable 

2 versions that are made available in all appro3 priate formats. 

4 (c) SOURCES OF INFORMATION.—In preparing the 

5 report required under subsection (a), the President may 

6 utilize any credible publication, database, web-based re7 source, and any credible information compiled by any gov8 ernment agency, nongovernmental organization, or other 

9 entity provided to or made available to the President. 

10 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro11 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

12 (1) the Committee on Financial Services and 

13 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

14 Representatives; and 

15 (2) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

16 Urban Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Rela17 tions of the Senate. 

18 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES POLICY ON HOSTAGE-TAKING BY 

19 THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN. 

20 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

21 (1) Since 1979 the Iranian regime has engaged 

22 in various destabilizing activities that undermine the 

23 national security of the United States and its allies 

24 and partners. 


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1 (2) These activities include the hostage-taking 

2 or prolonged arbitrary detentions of United States 

3 citizens and other persons with connections to Can4 ada, the United Kingdom, France, and other nations 

5 allied with the United States. 

6 (3) The Iranian regime has detained on fab7 ricated claims a significant number of United States 

8 citizens, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi and 

9 Xiyue Wang, as well as United States legal perma10 nent resident, Nizar Zakka, in violation of inter11 national legal norms. 

12 (4) The Iranian regime has not provided infor13 mation on the whereabouts of or assistance in ensur14 ing the prompt and safe return of Robert Levinson, 

15 despite repeated promises to do so, after he was kid16 napped while visiting Iran’s Kish Island on March 9, 

17 2007—making him the longest held hostage in 

18 United States history. 

19 (5) The Iranian regime reportedly uses hostages 

20 as leverage against foreign investors to exact busi21 ness concessions in foreign investment deals. 

22 (6) The type of hostage-taking enterprise put in 

23 place by the Iranian regime is a crime against hu24 manity and a violation of customary international 

25 law. 


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1 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 

2 Congress that— 

3 (1) the Administration should fully utilize all 

4 necessary and appropriate measures to prevent the 

5 Iranian regime from engaging in hostage-taking or 

6 the prolonged arbitrary detention of United States 

7 citizens or legal permanent resident aliens, to in8 clude— 

9 (A) the use of extradition to try and con10 vict those individuals responsible for ordering or 

11 controlling the hostage-taking or arbitrary de12 tention of United States citizens; and 

13 (B) the use of the Department of Home14 land Security’s Human Rights Violators and 

15 War Crimes Center to target such individuals; 

16 and 

17 (2) the United States should encourage its al18 lies and other affected countries to pursue the crimi19 nal prosecution and extradition of state and non20 state actors in Iran that assist in or benefit from 

21 such hostage-taking to prevent such state and non22 state actors from engaging in this practice in the fu23 ture. 

24 (c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 

25 of the United States Government not to pay ransom or 


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1 release prisoners for the purpose of securing the release 

2 of United States citizens or legal permanent resident 

3 aliens taken hostage abroad. 

4 (d) STRATEGY.—Not later than 120 days after the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 

6 shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

7 House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 

8 Relations of the Senate a report that contains a strategy 

9 to prevent elements of the Iranian regime from engaging 

10 in hostage-taking or the prolonged arbitrary detention of 

11 United States citizens or legal permanent resident aliens. 

12 SEC. 5. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO PER13 SONS WHO ENGAGE IN CERTAIN ACTIONS 

14 AGAINST UNITED STATES CITIZENS OR IRA15 NIAN PERSONS. 

16 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that the United States should coordinate with 

18 United States allies and other allies and partners whose 

19 citizens may be subject to politically-motivated detention 

20 or trial in Iran, to apply sanctions against persons that 

21 are responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for or22 dering, controlling, or otherwise directing, such detention 

23 or trial. 

24 (b) IN GENERAL.—Title I of the Comprehensive Iran 

25 Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 is 


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1 amended by inserting after section 105C (22 U.S.C. 

2 8514c) the following: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 105D. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

4 PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN CERTAIN ACTIONS 

5 AGAINST UNITED STATES CITIZENS OR IRA6 NIAN PERSONS. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc8 tions described in section 105(c) with respect to each per9 son on the list required by subsection (b). 

10 ‘‘(b) LIST OF PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN CERTAIN

11 ACTIONS AGAINST UNITED STATES CITIZENS OR IRANIAN

12 PERSONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days 

14 after the date of the enactment of this section, the 

15 President shall submit to the appropriate congres16 sional committees a list of persons that the Presi17 dent determines, based on credible evidence— 

18 ‘‘(A) are responsible for or complicit in, or 

19 responsible for ordering, controlling, or other20 wise directing, the politically-motivated intimi21 dation, abuse, extortion, or detention or trial of 

22 citizens of the United States or United States 

23 legal permanent resident aliens, in Iran; or 

24 ‘‘(B) are responsible for or complicit in, or 

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1 wise directing, the politically-motivated intimi2 dation, abuse, extortion, or detention or trial of 

3 Iranians, Iranian residents, or persons of Ira4 nian origin outside of Iran. 

5 ‘‘(2) UPDATES OF LIST.—The President shall 

6 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

7 an updated list under paragraph (1)— 

8 ‘‘(A) each time the President is required to 

9 submit an updated list to those committees 

10 under section 105(b)(2)(A); and 

11 ‘‘(B) as new information becomes avail12 able. 

13 ‘‘(3) FORM OF REPORT; PUBLIC AVAIL14 ABILITY.— 

15 ‘‘(A) FORM.—The list required by para16 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 

17 form but may contain a classified annex. 

18 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclas19 sified portion of the list required by paragraph 

20 (1) shall be made available to the public and 

21 posted on the websites of the Department of the 

22 Treasury and the Department of State. 

23 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION OF SANCTIONS TO IMMEDIATE

24 FAMILY MEMBERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose 

2 sanctions described in paragraph (2) with respect to 

3 each person that is a family member of any person 

4 on the list required by subsection (b). 

5 ‘‘(2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMIS6 SION, OR PAROLE.— 

7 ‘‘(A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

8 alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec9 retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 

10 one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason 

11 to believe, is a family member of any person on 

12 the list required by subsection (b) is— 

13 ‘‘(i) inadmissible to the United States; 

14 ‘‘(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or 

15 other documentation to enter the United 

16 States; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admit18 ted or paroled into the United States or to 

19 receive any other benefit under the Immi20 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

21 1101 et seq.). 

22 ‘‘(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

23 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con24 sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 

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1 ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re2 voke any visa or other entry documentation 

3 issued to an alien who is a family member 

4 of any person on the list required by sub5 section (b) regardless of when issued. 

6 ‘‘(ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A 

7 revocation under clause (i)— 

8 ‘‘(I) shall take effect imme9 diately; and 

10 ‘‘(II) shall automatically cancel 

11 any other valid visa or entry docu12 mentation that is in the alien’s pos13 session. 

14 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA15 TIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 

16 under paragraph (2) shall not apply to an alien if 

17 admitting the alien into the United States is nec18 essary to permit the United States to comply with 

19 the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 

20 United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 

21 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 

22 between the United Nations and the United States, 

23 or other applicable international obligations. 


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1 ‘‘(4) DEFINITION OF FAMILY MEMBER.—In this 

2 section, the term ‘family member’ means, with re3 spect to an individual— 

4 ‘‘(A) a spouse, child, parent, sibling, 

5 grandchild, or grandparent of the individual; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(B) a spouse’s child, parent, or sibling. 

8 ‘‘(d) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.—The provisions 

9 of this section shall terminate on the date that is 30 days 

10 after the date on which the President— 

11 ‘‘(1) determines and certifies to the appropriate 

12 congressional committees that the Government of 

13 Iran is no longer complicit in or responsible for the 

14 wrongful and unlawful detention of United States 

15 citizens or legal permanent resident aliens; and 

16 ‘‘(2) transmits to the appropriate congressional 

17 committees the certification described in section 

18 105(d) of this Act.’’. 

19 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

20 for the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and 

21 Divestment Act of 2010 is amended by inserting after the 

22 item relating to section 105C the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 105D. Imposition of sanctions with respect to persons who engage in certain actions against United States citizens or Iranian persons.’’. 

23 (d) AMENDMENTS TO GENERAL PROVISIONS.—Sec24 tion 401 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, AccountVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:44 Jan 10, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4744.IH H4744

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1 ability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8551) is 

2 amended— 

3 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘and 305’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘, 105D, and 305’’; and 

5 (2) in subsection (b)(1)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘or 105C(a)’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘, 105C(a), or 105D(a)’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘or 105C(b)’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘105C(b), or 105D(b)’’. 

10 SEC. 6. CONSOLIDATION OF CERTAIN REPORTS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Any and all reports required to 

12 be submitted to Congress under this Act, any amendment 

13 made by this Act, or a covered provision of law that are 

14 subject to a deadline for submission consisting of the same 

15 unit of time may be consolidated into a single report that 

16 is submitted to Congress pursuant to such deadline. 

17 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The consolidated 

18 reports shall contain all information required under this 

19 Act, any amendment made by this Act, or a covered provi20 sion of law, in addition to all other elements required by 

21 previous law. 

22 (c) COVERED PROVISIONS OF LAW.—In this section, 

23 the term ‘‘covered provision of law’’ means the following: 

24 (1) The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (Public 

25 Law 104–172; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note). 


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1 (2) The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Ac2 countability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (Public 

3 Law 111–195; 22 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.). 

4 (3) The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria 

5 Human Rights Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–158; 

6 22 U.S.C. 8701 et seq.). 

7 (4) The Iran Freedom and Counter-Prolifera8 tion Act of 2012 (subtitle D of title XII of the Na9 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

10 2013; 22 U.S.C. 8801 et seq.). 

11 (5) Section 1245 of the National Defense Au12 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (22 U.S.C. 

13 8513a). 

Æ 


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