SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Iran Human Rights 
and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act’’. 
SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLA-
TIONS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Iran is a member of the United Nations, 
voted for the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights, and is a signatory to the International Cov-
enant on Civil and Political Rights, among other 
international human rights treaties. 
(2) In violation of these and other international 
obligations, Iranian regime officials continue to vio-
late the fundamental human rights of the Iranian 
people. 
(3) The Iranian regime persecutes ethnic and 
religious minority groups, such as the Baha’is, 
Christians, Sufi, Sunni, and dissenting Shi’a Mus-
lims 
(such 
as 
imprisoned 
Ayatollah 
Hossein 
Kazemeyni Boroujerdi), through harassment, ar-
rests, and imprisonment, during which detainees 
have routinely been beaten, tortured, and killed. 
(4) Following voting irregularities that resulted 
in the 2009 election of President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad, the Iranian regime brutally sup-
pressed peaceful political dissent from wide segments
of civil society during the Green Revolution in a cyn-
ical attempt to retain its undemocratic grip on 
power. 
(5) Since February 2011 the leaders of Iran’s 
Green Movement, former Prime Minister Mir 
Hossein Mousavi, his wife Dr. Zahra Rahnavard, 
and former Speaker of the Majles (parliament) 
Mehdi Karroubi, have lived under strict house ar-
rest, ordered by Iran’s Supreme National Security 
Council. 
(6) In 1999 the Iranian regime brutally sup-
pressed a student revolt that was one of the largest 
mass uprisings up until that point in the country 
since 1979. 
(7) Over a 4-month period in 1988, the Iranian 
regime carried out the barbaric mass executions of 
thousands of political prisoners by hanging and fir-
ing squad for refusing to renounce their political af-
filiations and in some cases for possessing political 
reading material, including prisoners of conscience, 
teenagers, and pregnant women. In a recently dis-
closed audiotape, the late Hussein Ali Montazeri, a 
grand ayatollah who served as former Supreme lead-
er Khomeini’s chief deputy, said that the 1988 mass 
killings were ‘‘the greatest crime committed during
the Islamic Republic, for which history will condemn 
us’’. 
(8) Senior governmental, military, and public 
security officials in Iran have continued ordering, 
controlling, and committing egregious human rights 
violations that, in many cases, represent official poli-
cies of the Iranian regime. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 
Congress that the United States should— 
(1) deny the Government of Iran the ability to 
continue to oppress the people of Iran and to use vi-
olence and executions to silence pro-democracy 
protestors; 
(2) work with international partners to inves-
tigate human rights violations by senior officials of 
the Government of Iran, regardless of where or when 
such violations took place; 
(3) support efforts made by the people of Iran 
to promote the establishment of basic freedoms that 
build the foundation for the emergence of a freely 
elected, open, non-corrupt and democratic political 
system; 
(4) condemn Iranian human rights abuses 
against dissidents, including the massacre in 1988 
and the suppression of political demonstrations in
1999, 2009, and 2017, and pressure the Govern-
ment of Iran to provide family members detailed in-
formation that they were denied about the final rest-
ing places of any missing victims of such abuses; 
and 
(5) help the people of Iran produce, access, and 
share information freely and safely via the internet 
and other media. 
(c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 
of the United States to stand with the people of Iran who 
seek the opportunity to freely elect a government of their 
choosing, and increase the utilization of all available au-
thorities to impose sanctions on officials of the Govern-
ment of Iran and other individuals responsible for serious 
human rights abuses. 
SEC. 3. DETERMINATIONS WITH RESPECT TO IMPOSITION 
OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN PERSONS RE-
SPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT IN HUMAN 
RIGHTS ABUSES, ENGAGING IN CENSORSHIP, 
ENGAGING IN THE DIVERSION OF GOODS IN-
TENDED FOR THE PEOPLE OF IRAN, OR EN-
GAGING IN CORRUPTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub-
mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
containing a determination of whether any senior officials 
of the Government of Iran or other Iranian persons meet 
the criteria described in— 
(1) subsection (b) of section 105D of the Com-
prehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Di-
vestment Act of 2010, as added by section 5 of this 
Act; or 
(2) paragraph (3) or (4) of section 1263(a) of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 
note). 
(b) REVIEW OF CERTAIN ENTITIES.—The report re-
quired under subsection (a) shall contain a review of any 
activities of cooperative foundations or bonyads in Iran 
with a capitalization that exceeds $200,000,000 and that 
meet the criteria in paragraph (3) or (4) of section 
1263(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 
note) for purposes of corruption. 
(c) FORM OF REPORT; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 
(1) FORM.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 
but may contain a classified annex. 
(2) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—The unclassified 
portion of such report shall be made available to the
public and posted on the internet website of the De-
partment of the Treasury— 
(A) in English, Farsi, Arabic, and Azeri; 
and 
(B) in precompressed, easily downloadable 
versions that are made available in all appro-
priate formats. 
(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Financial Services and 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions of the Senate. 
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES POLICY ON HOSTAGE-TAKING BY 
THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Since 1979 the Iranian regime has engaged 
in various destabilizing activities that undermine the 
national security of the United States and its allies 
and partners. 
(2) These activities include the hostage-taking 
or prolonged arbitrary detentions of United States 
citizens and other persons with connections to Can-
ada, the United Kingdom, France, and other nations 
allied with the United States. 
(3) The Iranian regime has detained on fab-
ricated claims a significant number of United States 
citizens, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi and 
Xiyue Wang, as well as United States legal perma-
nent resident, Nizar Zakka, in violation of inter-
national legal norms. 
(4) The Iranian regime has not provided infor-
mation on the whereabouts of or assistance in ensur-
ing the prompt and safe return of Robert Levinson, 
despite repeated promises to do so, after he was kid-
napped while visiting Iran’s Kish Island on March 9, 
2007—making him the longest held hostage in 
United States history. 
(5) The Iranian regime reportedly uses hostages 
as leverage against foreign investors to exact busi-
ness concessions in foreign investment deals. 
(6) The type of hostage-taking enterprise put in 
place by the Iranian regime is a crime against hu-
manity and a violation of customary international 
law. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 
Congress that—
(1) the Administration should fully utilize all 
necessary and appropriate measures to prevent the 
Iranian regime from engaging in hostage-taking or 
the prolonged arbitrary detention of United States 
citizens or legal permanent resident aliens, to in-
clude— 
(A) the use of extradition to try and con-
vict those individuals responsible for ordering or 
controlling the hostage-taking or arbitrary de-
tention of United States citizens; and 
(B) the use of the Department of Home-
land Security’s Human Rights Violators and 
War Crimes Center to target such individuals; 
and 
(2) the United States should encourage its al-
lies and other affected countries to pursue the crimi-
nal prosecution and extradition of state and non- 
state actors in Iran that assist in or benefit from 
such hostage-taking to prevent such state and non- 
state actors from engaging in this practice in the fu-
ture. 
(c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States Government not to pay ransom for the pur-
pose of securing the release of United States citizens or 
legal permanent resident aliens taken hostage abroad.
(d) STRATEGY.—Not later than 120 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate a report that contains a strategy 
to prevent elements of the Iranian regime from engaging 
in hostage-taking or the prolonged arbitrary detention of 
United States citizens or legal permanent resident aliens. 
SEC. 5. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO IRA-
NIAN PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN CERTAIN AC-
TIONS AGAINST UNITED STATES CITIZENS OR 
IRANIAN PERSONS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the United States should coordinate with 
United States allies and other allies and partners whose 
citizens may be subject to politically-motivated detention 
or trial in Iran, to apply sanctions against Iranian persons 
that are responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for 
ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, such deten-
tion or trial. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Title I of the Comprehensive Iran 
Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 is 
amended by inserting after section 105C (22 U.S.C. 
8514c) the following:
‘‘SEC. 105D. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 
IRANIAN PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN CERTAIN 
ACTIONS AGAINST UNITED STATES CITIZENS 
OR IRANIAN PERSONS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc-
tions described in section 105(c) with respect to each per-
son on the list required by subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) LIST OF IRANIAN PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN 
CERTAIN ACTIONS AGAINST UNITED STATES CITIZENS 
OR IRANIAN PERSONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the 
President shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a list of Iranian persons that the 
President determines, are knowingly— 
‘‘(A) responsible for or complicit in, or re-
sponsible for ordering or otherwise directing, 
the politically-motivated harassment, abuse, ex-
tortion, or extended detention or trial of citizens 
of the United States or United States legal per-
manent resident aliens, regardless of whether 
such actions occurred in Iran; or 
‘‘(B) responsible for or complicit in, or re-
sponsible for ordering or otherwise directing, 
the politically-motivated harassment, abuse, ex-
tortion, or extended detention or trial of Ira-
nians, Iranian residents, or persons of Iranian 
origin outside of Iran. 
‘‘(2) UPDATES OF LIST.—The President shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
an updated list under paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) each time the President is required to 
submit an updated list to those committees 
under section 105(b)(2)(A); and 
‘‘(B) as new information becomes avail-
able. 
‘‘(3) 
FORM
OF
REPORT; 
PUBLIC
AVAIL-
ABILITY.— 
‘‘(A) FORM.—The list required by para-
graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 
form but may contain a classified annex. 
‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The unclas-
sified portion of the list required by paragraph 
(1) shall be made available to the public and 
posted on the websites of the Department of the 
Treasury and the Department of State. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION
OF SANCTIONS
TO IMMEDIATE 
FAMILY MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President is author-
ized to impose sanctions described in paragraph (2)
with respect to each person that is a family member 
of any person on the list required by subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) ALIENS
INELIGIBLE
FOR
VISAS, ADMIS-
SION, OR PAROLE.— 
‘‘(A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 
alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 
one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason 
to believe, is a family member of any person on 
the list required by subsection (b) is— 
‘‘(i) inadmissible to the United States; 
‘‘(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or 
other documentation to enter the United 
States; and 
‘‘(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admit-
ted or paroled into the United States or to 
receive any other benefit under the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1101 et seq.). 
‘‘(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The issuing con-
sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 
Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des-
ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall re-
voke any visa or other entry documentation
issued to an alien who is a family member 
of any person on the list required by sub-
section (b) regardless of when issued. 
‘‘(ii) EFFECT
OF
REVOCATION.—A 
revocation under clause (i)— 
‘‘(I) shall take effect imme-
diately; and 
‘‘(II) shall automatically cancel 
any other valid visa or entry docu-
mentation that is in the alien’s pos-
session. 
‘‘(3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA-
TIONS
HEADQUARTERS
AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 
under paragraph (2) shall not apply to an alien if 
admitting the alien into the United States is nec-
essary to permit the United States to comply with 
the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 
United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 
1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, 
between the United Nations and the United States, 
or other applicable international obligations. 
‘‘(4) DEFINITION OF FAMILY MEMBER.—In this 
section, the term ‘family member’ means, with re-
spect to an individual—
‘‘(A) a spouse, child, parent, sibling, 
grandchild, or grandparent of the individual; 
and 
‘‘(B) a spouse’s child, parent, or sibling. 
‘‘(d) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.—The provisions 
of this section shall terminate on the date that is 30 days 
after the date on which the President— 
‘‘(1) determines and certifies to the appropriate 
congressional committees that the Government of 
Iran is no longer complicit in or responsible for the 
wrongful and unlawful detention of United States 
citizens or legal permanent resident aliens; and 
‘‘(2) transmits to the appropriate congressional 
committees the certification described in section 
105(d) of this Act.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
for the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and 
Divestment Act of 2010 is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 105C the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 105D. Imposition of sanctions with respect to Iranian persons who en-
gage in certain actions against United States citizens or Ira-
nian persons.’’. 
(d) AMENDMENTS TO GENERAL PROVISIONS.—Sec-
tion 401 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Account-
ability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8551) is 
amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘and 305’’ 
and inserting ‘‘, 105D, and 305’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or 105C(a)’’ and inserting 
‘‘105C(a), or 105D(a)’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or 105C(b)’’ and inserting 
‘‘105C(b), or 105D(b)’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2018. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4744 
AN ACT 
To impose additional sanctions with respect to seri-
ous human rights abuses of the Government of 
Iran, and for other purposes.