I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5333 
To impose sanctions in relation to violations by Iran of the Geneva Convention 
(III) or the right under international law to conduct innocent passage, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2016 
Mr. POMPEO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judi-
ciary, 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 sanctions in relation to violations by Iran of 
the Geneva Convention (III) or the right under inter-
national law to conduct innocent passage, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Impunity for Ira-
nian Aggression at Sea Act of 2016’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS ON INDIVIDUALS WHO 
WERE COMPLICIT IN VIOLATIONS OF THE GE-
NEVA CONVENTION OR THE RIGHT UNDER 
INTERNATIONAL LAW TO CONDUCT INNO-
CENT PASSAGE. 
(a) REPORT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report that includes— 
(A) a determination with respect to wheth-
er, during or after the incident that began on 
January 12, 2016, in which forces of Iran 
boarded two United States Navy riverine com-
bat vessels and detained at gunpoint the crews 
of those vessels, any of the actions of the forces 
of Iran constituted a violation of— 
(i) the Geneva Convention; or 
(ii) the right under international law 
to conduct innocent passage; and 
(B) a certification with respect to whether 
or 
not 
Federal 
funds, 
including 
the 
$1,700,000,000 payment that was announced 
by the Secretary of State on January 17, 2016, 
were paid to Iran, directly or indirectly, to ef-
fect the release of— 
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(i) the members of the United States 
Navy who were detained in the incident de-
scribed in subparagraph (A); or 
(ii) other United States citizens, in-
cluding Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, 
Saeed 
Abedini, 
Nosratollah 
Khosravi- 
Roodsari, and Matthew Trevithick, the re-
lease of whom was announced on January 
16, 2016. 
(2) ACTIONS TO BE ASSESSED.—In assessing 
actions of the forces of Iran under paragraph 
(1)(A), the President shall consider, at a minimum, 
the following actions: 
(A) The stopping, boarding, search, and 
seizure of the two United States Navy riverine 
combat vessels in the incident described in 
paragraph (1)(A). 
(B) The removal from their vessels and de-
tention of members of the United States Armed 
Forces in that incident. 
(C) The theft or confiscation of electronic 
navigational equipment or any other equipment 
from the vessels. 
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(D) The forcing of one or more members 
of the United States Armed Forces to apologize 
for their actions. 
(E) The display, videotaping, or photo-
graphing of members of the United States 
Armed Forces and the subsequent broadcasting 
or other use of those photographs or videos. 
(F) The forcing of female members of the 
United States Armed Forces to wear head cov-
erings. 
(3) DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS.—In the case of 
each action that the President determines under 
paragraph (1)(A) is a violation of the Geneva Con-
vention or the right under international law to con-
duct innocent passage, the President shall include in 
the report required by that paragraph a description 
of the action and an explanation of how the action 
violated the Geneva Convention or the right to con-
duct innocent passage, as the case may be. 
(4) FORM OF REPORT.—The report required by 
paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified 
form, but may include a classified annex. 
(b) LIST OF CERTAIN PERSONS WHO HAVE BEEN 
COMPLICIT IN VIOLATIONS OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION 
OR THE RIGHT TO CONDUCT INNOCENT PASSAGE.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 
the submission of the report required by subsection 
(a), if the President has determined that one or 
more actions of the forces of Iran constituted a vio-
lation of the Geneva Convention or the right under 
international law to conduct innocent passage, the 
President shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a list of persons who are officials 
of the Government of Iran or were acting on behalf 
of that Government that, based on credible evidence, 
are responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for 
ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, any 
such violation. 
(2) UPDATES
OF
LIST.—The President shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
an updated list under paragraph (1) as new infor-
mation becomes available. 
(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—To the maximum 
extent practicable, the list required by paragraph (1) 
shall be made available to the public and posted on 
publicly accessible Internet websites of the Depart-
ment of Defense and the Department of State. 
(c) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose 
the sanctions described in paragraph (2) with re-
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spect to each person on the list required by sub-
section (b). 
(2) SANCTIONS.— 
(A) PROHIBITION ON ENTRY AND ADMIS-
SION TO THE UNITED STATES.—An alien on the 
list required by subsection (b) may not— 
(i) be admitted to, enter, or transit 
through the United States; 
(ii) receive any lawful immigration 
status in the United States under the im-
migration laws; or 
(iii) file any application or petition to 
obtain such admission, entry, or status. 
(B) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.— 
(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
President 
shall, pursuant to the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 
1701 et seq.), block and prohibit all trans-
actions in all property and interests in 
property of a person on the list required by 
subsection (b) if such property and inter-
ests in property are in the United States, 
come within the United States, or are or 
come within the possession or control of a 
United States person. 
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(ii) EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPOR-
TATION OF GOODS.— 
(I) IN GENERAL.—The authority 
to block and prohibit all transactions 
in all property and interests in prop-
erty under clause (i) shall not include 
the authority to impose sanctions on 
the importation of goods. 
(II) GOOD.—In this subpara-
graph, the term ‘‘good’’ has the mean-
ing given that term in section 16 of 
the Export Administration Act of 
1979 (50 U.S.C. 4618) (as continued 
in effect pursuant to the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)). 
(iii) PENALTIES.—A person that vio-
lates, attempts to violate, conspires to vio-
late, or causes a violation of clause (i) or 
any regulation, license, or order issued to 
carry out clause (i) shall be subject to the 
penalties set forth in subsections (b) and 
(c) of section 206 of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1705) to the same extent as a per-
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son that commits an unlawful act de-
scribed in subsection (a) of that section. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMITTED; ALIEN; IMMIGRATION LAWS.— 
The terms ‘‘admitted’’, ‘‘alien’’, and ‘‘immigration 
laws’’ have the meanings given those terms in sec-
tion 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101). 
(2) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Perma-
nent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
House of Representatives. 
(3) FORCES
OF
IRAN.—The term ‘‘forces of 
Iran’’ means the Islamic Revolutionary Guard 
Corps, members of other military or paramilitary 
units of the Government of Iran, and other agents 
of that Government. 
(4) GENEVA CONVENTION.—The term ‘‘Geneva 
Convention’’ means the Convention relative to the 
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Treatment of Prisoners of War, done at Geneva on 
August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3316) (commonly referred 
to as the ‘‘Geneva Convention (III))’’. 
(5) INNOCENT PASSAGE.—The term ‘‘innocent 
passage’’ means the principle under customary inter-
national law that all vessels have the right to con-
duct innocent passage through another country’s 
territorial waters for the purpose of continuous and 
expeditious traversing. 
(6) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) a United States citizen or an alien law-
fully admitted for permanent residence to the 
United States; or 
(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or of any jurisdiction within 
the United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity. 
Æ 
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