II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4290 

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 

MAY 24, 2022 

Mrs. BLACKBURN (for herself, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. 

RUBIO, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. CRUZ, and Mr. CRAMER) 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. 

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 China Account5 ability Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 4290 IS

1 (1) The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Ac2 tion provided Iran with more than 

3 $100,000,000,000 in sanctions relief, circumventing 

4 mandatory sanctions imposed pursuant to Acts of 

5 Congress. 

6 (2) In 2016, the United States delivered 

7 $400,000,000 in cash to Iran. 

8 (3) On May 8, 2018, the United States with9 drew from the disastrous Joint Comprehensive Plan 

10 of Action and implemented a campaign of maximum 

11 economic pressure on Iran until the regime— 

12 (A) ends its nuclear program, its pursuit 

13 of ballistic missiles, and its support of terrorism 

14 and regional destabilization; and 

15 (B) releases all United States hostages. 

16 (4) Iran and the People’s Republic of China 

17 signed a 25-year strategic economic cooperation 

18 agreement on March 27, 2021. The relationship be19 tween the 2 countries is a strategic partnership that 

20 aims to advance the People’s Republic of China’s in21 fluence in the Middle East. 

22 (5) The strategic economic cooperation agree23 ment involves a transfer of $400,000,000,000 from 

24 the Chinese Communist Party to the Government of 

25 Iran. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 4290 IS

1 (6) The Chinese Communist Party is commit2 ting an ongoing genocide against Uyghur Muslims in 

3 the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and sup4 pressing religious freedom throughout the People’s 

5 Republic of China. 

6 (7) The Chinese Communist Party is also sup7 pressing religious freedom by arbitrarily imprisoning 

8 Christians, raiding house churches, and attempting 

9 to shut down houses of worship not endorsed by the 

10 Government of the People’s Republic of China. 

11 (8) The Government of Iran is perpetrating vio12 lence against its own people, including through the 

13 killing of protesters and the persecution of women 

14 and religious minorities. It is also involved in severe 

15 violations of human rights throughout the Middle 

16 East, including supporting the brutal regime of 

17 Bashar al-Assad in Syria. 

18 (9) Since 2021, the People’s Republic of China 

19 has increased illicit oil purchases from Iran. Such oil 

20 purchases would be permitted if the United States 

21 lifts sanctions with respect to Iran and re-enters the 

22 failed Iran nuclear deal. The People’s Republic of 

23 China remains Iran’s largest oil customer. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 4290 IS

1 (10) A portion of the oil that the People’s Re2 public of China buys from Iran (and from other sup3 pliers) might be transshipped to North Korea. 

4 (11) The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action 

5 required that the United Nations arms embargo on 

6 Iran expire in October 2020, which would have per7 mitted the People’s Republic of China to sell arms 

8 to Iran, and permits Iran to sell arms to China. 

9 (12) The United States Government unequivo10 cally condemns the Hamas-incited terrorist attacks 

11 originating from Israeli land currently occupied by 

12 Hamas. 

13 (13) The United States Government recognizes 

14 Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas-incited 

15 terrorist attacks. 

16 (14) President Joseph R. Biden has sought to 

17 rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or a 

18 similar agreement, including undertaking talks with 

19 Iran and the other parties to the Joint Comprehen20 sive Plan of Action in Vienna, Austria. Those talks 

21 are ongoing as of May 2022. 

22 (15) Officials in the administration of President 

23 Biden have acknowledged that rejoining a nuclear 

24 agreement with Iran would entail an easing of the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 4290 IS

1 economic sanctions stipulated by the Joint Com2 prehensive Plan of Action. 

3 SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ANY IRAN NU4 CLEAR AGREEMENT. 

5 (a) LIMITATIONS PRIOR TO ENTERING INTO NEGO6 TIATIONS.—No Federal funds may be obligated or ex7 pended to enter into any negotiation with the Government 

8 of Iran with respect to an Iran nuclear agreement until 

9 the President certifies to Congress that— 

10 (1) the Government of Iran has terminated— 

11 (A) all agreements involving the transfer of 

12 funds to such Government from the People’s 

13 Republic of China; and 

14 (B) all agreements involving a strategic 

15 military or security partnership with the Peo16 ple’s Republic of China; 

17 (2) the Government of the People’s Republic of 

18 China has ceased to incarcerate Uyghur individuals 

19 in concentration camps in the Xinjiang Uyghur Au20 tonomous Region; 

21 (3) the Government of Iran has terminated all 

22 ties and transfer of cash to Iranian proxy forces, in23 cluding Hamas; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 4290 IS

1 (4) the Government of Iran has verified the de2 struction of any and all chemical weapons, materials, 

3 and infrastructure. 

4 (b) REQUIREMENT FOR CONTENTS OF AGREE5 MENT.—No Federal funds may be obligated or expended 

6 for United States entry into any Iran nuclear agreement, 

7 and the President may not take any action (including in 

8 the form of an agenda, agreement, platform, or plan) to 

9 carry out the goals of such an agreement, unless such 

10 agreement certifies the destruction of any and all Iranian 

11 nuclear and missile capabilities, weapons, infrastructure, 

12 chemical weapons, and offensive cyber activity. 

13 (c) RATIFICATION REQUIRED.—Notwithstanding any 

14 other provision of law, any Iran nuclear agreement shall 

15 be deemed a treaty subject to the requirement that the 

16 Senate provide its advice and consent pursuant to article 

17 II, section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution of the United 

18 States. The President may not take any action (including 

19 in the form of an agenda, agreement, platform, or plan) 

20 to carry out the goals of such an agreement until the Sen21 ate has adopted a resolution of advice and consent with 

22 respect to that agreement. 

23 (d) REPORT REQUIRED.—The Secretary of State 

24 shall submit to Congress, prior to the submission of a pro25 posed Iran nuclear agreement to the Senate for its advice 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 4290 IS

1 and consent in accordance with subsection (c), a report 

2 setting forth the manner and extent to which the negotia3 tion and terms of such proposed Iran nuclear agreement 

4 comply with each limitation and requirement under this 

5 section. 

6 (e) IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT DEFINED.—In this 

7 section, the term ‘‘Iran nuclear agreement’’ means— 

8 (1) the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, 

9 signed at Vienna July 14, 2015, by Iran and by the 

10 People’s Republic of China, France, Germany, the 

11 Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the 

12 United States, with the High Representative of the 

13 European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security 

14 Policy, and all implementing materials and agree15 ments related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of 

16 Action; and 

17 (2) any successor or other agreement exchang18 ing relief from international sanctions for restric19 tions on Iran’s nuclear program. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS