IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4591 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 28, 2018 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
AN ACT 
To impose sanctions with respect to Iranian persons that 
threaten the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government 
of Iraq. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Destabiliza-
tion of Iraq Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOR-
EIGN PERSONS THREATENING PEACE OR 
STABILITY IN IRAQ. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary 
of State should continue to implement Executive Order 
13438 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property 
of certain persons who threaten stabilization efforts in 
Iraq). 
(b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—The President shall 
impose the sanctions described in subsection (c) with re-
spect to any foreign person that the President determines 
knowingly commits a significant act of violence that has 
the direct purpose or effect of— 
(1) threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or 
the Government of Iraq; 
(2) undermining the democratic process in Iraq; 
or 
(3) undermining significantly efforts to promote 
economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq 
or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi 
people. 
(c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The sanctions described in 
this subsection are the following: 
(A) ASSET BLOCKING.—The exercise of all 
powers granted to the President by the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to 
block and prohibit all transactions in all prop-
erty and interests in property of a foreign per-
son determined by the President to be subject 
to subsection (b) if such property and interests 
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. 
(B) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, AD-
MISSION, OR PAROLE.— 
(i) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 
An alien who the Secretary of State or the 
Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des-
ignee of one of such Secretaries) deter-
mines is subject to subsection (b) is— 
(I) inadmissible to the United 
States; 
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(II) ineligible to receive a visa or 
other documentation to enter the 
United States; and 
(III) otherwise ineligible to be 
admitted or paroled into the United 
States or to receive any other benefit 
under the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 
(ii) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(I) IN
GENERAL.—Any visa or 
other documentation issued to an 
alien who is a foreign person that is 
described in subsection (b) regardless 
of when such visa or other docu-
mentation was issued, shall be re-
voked and such alien shall be denied 
admission to the United States. 
(II) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.— 
A revocation under subclause (I) shall 
take effect immediately and shall 
automatically cancel any other valid 
visa or entry documentation that is in 
the alien’s possession. 
(2) PENALTIES.—A person that is subject to 
sanctions described in paragraph (1)(A) shall be 
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subject to the penalties set forth in subsections (b) 
and (c) of section 206 of the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the 
same extent as a person that commits an unlawful 
act described in subsection (a) of that section. 
(3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NA-
TIONS
HEADQUARTERS
AGREEMENT.—Sanctions 
under paragraph (1)(B) 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. 
(d) WAIVER.—The President may, on a case-by-case 
basis and for periods not to exceed 180 days, waive the 
application of sanctions in this section with respect to a 
foreign person if the President certifies to the appropriate 
congressional committees at least 15 days before such 
waiver is to take effect that such waiver is vital to the 
national security interests of the United States. 
(e) IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY.—The President 
may exercise all authorities provided to the President 
under sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer-
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gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) 
for purposes of carrying out this section. 
(f) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The President shall, not 
later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, promulgate regulations as necessary for 
the implementation of this section. 
(2) NOTIFICATION
TO
CONGRESS.—Not less 
than 10 days before the promulgation of regulations 
under paragraph (1), the President shall notify and 
provide to the appropriate congressional committees 
the proposed regulations and the provisions of this 
section that the regulations are implementing. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 
and ‘‘alien’’ have the meanings given those terms in 
section 101(3) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(3)). 
(2) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 
Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on 
Ways and Means, and the Committee on Finan-
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cial Services of the House of Representatives; 
and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs of the Senate. 
(3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per-
son’’ means a person that is not a United States 
person. 
(4) GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ.—The term ‘‘Gov-
ernment of Iraq’’ has the meaning given that term 
in section 576.310 of title 31, Code of Federal Reg-
ulations, as in effect on June 22, 2016. 
(5) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 
respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 
means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 
have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 
result. 
(6) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 576.311 of title 
31, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on 
June 22, 2016. 
(7) PROPERTY; 
PROPERTY
INTEREST.—The 
terms ‘‘property’’ and ‘‘property interest’’ have the 
meanings given those terms in section 576.312 of 
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title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on 
June 22, 2016. 
(8) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ has the meaning given that 
term in section 576.317 of title 31, Code of Federal 
Regulations, as in effect on June 22, 2016. 
(h) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to be effective 
beginning on January 1, 2022. 
SEC. 3. DETERMINATION WITH RESPECT TO THE IMPOSI-
TION OF SANCTIONS. 
(a) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
State shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a determination, including a detailed justification, 
on whether Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hizballah al- 
Nujaba, Liwa Fatemiyoun, Liwa Zainebiyoun, and any 
foreign person that is an official, agent, affiliate of, or 
owned or controlled by Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat 
Hizballah 
al-Nujaba, 
Liwa 
Fatemiyoun, 
or 
Liwa 
Zainebiyoun meets the criteria for— 
(1) designation as a foreign terrorist organiza-
tion pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); 
(2) the application of sanctions pursuant to Ex-
ecutive Order 13224 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating 
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to blocking property and prohibiting transactions 
with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or 
support terrorism); or 
(3) the application of sanctions pursuant to sec-
tion 2 of this Act. 
(b) ADDITIONAL DETERMINATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall 
include in the determination submitted under sub-
section (a) an additional determination, including a 
detailed justification, on whether any of the individ-
uals described in paragraph (2) meets the criteria 
for the application of sanctions described in para-
graph (2) or (3) of subsection (a). 
(2) INDIVIDUALS DESCRIBED.—The individuals 
described in this paragraph are the following: 
(A) Qais al-Khazali. 
(B) Laith al-Khazali. 
(C) Akram Abbas al-Kaabi. 
(D) Shibl al-Zaydi. 
(E) Kazim al-Ta’i. 
(F) Hamid al-Jazairi. 
(G) Ali al-Yasiri. 
(c) FORM.—The determination in subsection (a) and 
the additional determination in subsection (b) shall be 
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submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classi-
fied annex. 
(d) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Finan-
cial Services, and the Committee on the Judiciary of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, the Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence, the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on 
the Judiciary of the Senate. 
SEC. 4. WATCHLISTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall an-
nually establish, maintain, and publish a list of armed 
groups, militias, or proxy forces in Iraq receiving 
logistical, military, or financial assistance from Iran’s Rev-
olutionary Guard Corps or over which Iran’s Revolu-
tionary Guard Corps exerts any form of control or influ-
ence. 
(b) PUBLICATION.—The lists required under sub-
section (a) shall be published at the same time as the De-
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partment of State’s Annual Country Reports on Ter-
rorism, beginning with the first such Country Reports 
published after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) FORM.—If the Secretary of State determines that 
it is appropriate to do so, the Secretary may, not later 
than 30 days after publication of the Annual Country Re-
ports on Terrorism referred to in subsection (b), submit 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate a classified annex. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 27, 
2018. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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