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(1) the congressional defense committees; and 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives. 
(e) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.—No assistance may 
be provided under the authority in subsection (a) after De-
cember 31, 2016. 
SEC. 1227. REPORT ON EFFORTS OF TURKEY TO FIGHT 
TERRORISM. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
to Congress a report on the following: 
(1) Turkey’s bilateral and multilateral efforts to 
combat the flow of foreign fighters through its coun-
try into Syria. 
(2) Turkey’s relationship with Hamas, includ-
ing its harboring of leaders of Hamas. 
(3) The efforts of Turkey to fight terrorism, in-
cluding Turkey’s military and humanitarian role in 
the anti-ISIS coalition. 
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SEC. 1228. REPORT TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL EFFECTIVE-
NESS OF AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ES-
TABLISHMENT OF SAFE ZONES OR A NO-FLY 
ZONE IN SYRIA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) March 2015 marked the fourth year of the 
crisis in Syria, which has resulted in the world’s 
largest ongoing humanitarian disaster. 
(2) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and sup-
porting militias, including Hezbollah, continue to 
carry out sectarian mass atrocities, which have in-
cluded mass targeted killings, mass graves, the ex-
termination of entire families, including their chil-
dren, incidents of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, 
widespread torture, aerial bombardment of residen-
tial areas, and forced displacement of certain Syrian 
civilians especially from areas in western Syria 
where Assad is attempting to increase the domi-
nance of his own loyalists. 
(3) Approximately 220,000 people have been 
killed, including thousands of children, many more 
have been seriously wounded, and civilian casualties 
continue to mount as widespread and systematic at-
tacks on schools, hospitals, and other civilian facili-
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ties persist in violation of international norms and 
principles. 
(4) Assad’s forces and supporting militias have 
used air power to target Syrian civilians, including 
the deployment of barrel bombs filled with explo-
sives, shrapnel, and chemical weapons. 
(5) Assad’s forces, supporting militias, and 
other parties to the conflict are systematically block-
ing humanitarian aid delivery, including food and 
medical care, from many civilian areas in violation 
of international norms and principles. 
(b) REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of 
State, shall submit to the specified congressional 
committees a report that— 
(A) assesses the potential effectiveness, 
risks, and operational requirements of the es-
tablishment and maintenance of a no-fly zone 
over part or all of Syria, including— 
(i) the operational and legal require-
ments for United States and coalition air 
power to establish a no-fly zone in Syria; 
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(ii) the impact a no-fly zone in Syria 
would have on humanitarian and counter-
terrorism efforts in Syria and the sur-
rounding region; 
(iii) the potential for force contribu-
tions from other countries to establish a 
no-fly zone in Syria; and 
(iv) the impact of the establishment of 
a no-fly zone in Syria on the recipients of 
training provided by section 1209 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 
128 Stat. 3541); and 
(B) assesses the potential effectiveness, 
risks, and operational requirements for the es-
tablishment of one or more safe zones in Syria 
for internally displaced people or for the facili-
tation of humanitarian assistance, including— 
(i) the operational and legal require-
ments for United States and coalition 
forces to establish one or more safe zones 
in Syria; 
(ii) the impact one or more safe zones 
in Syria would have on humanitarian and 
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counterterrorism efforts in Syria and the 
surrounding region; 
(iii) the potential for contributions 
from other countries and vetted non-state 
actor partners to establish and maintain 
one or more safe zones in Syria; and 
(iv) the impact of the establishment of 
one or more safe zones in Syria on the re-
cipients of training provided by section 
1209 of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 
113–291; 128 Stat. 3541). 
(2) FORM.—The report required by paragraph 
(1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 
contain a classified annex if necessary. 
(3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 
‘‘specified congressional committees’’ means— 
(A) the congressional defense committees; 
and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs of the House of Representatives. 
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Subtitle D—Matters Relating to 
Iran 
SEC. 1231. EXTENSION OF ANNUAL REPORT ON MILITARY 
POWER OF IRAN. 
(a) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—Subsection (b) of 
section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111–84; 123 Stat. 
2544), as amended by section 1232 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (Public Law 
113–66; 127 Stat. 920), is further amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(5) An assessment of transfers to Iran of mili-
tary equipment, technology, and training from non- 
Iranian sources.’’. 
(b) TERMINATION.—Subsection (d) of such section, 
as amended by section 1277 of the National Defense Au-
thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113– 
291; 128 Stat. 3592), is further amended by striking ‘‘De-
cember 31, 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2025’’. 
SEC. 1232. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE GOVERNMENT OF 
IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AND ITS MALIGN 
MILITARY ACTIVITIES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The understanding announced on April 2, 
2015, between the countries of the P5+1 (the 
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United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ger-
many, Russia, and China) and Iran on a Com-
prehensive Joint Plan of Action (CJPOA) provides 
sanctions relief in exchange for constraints on Iran’s 
nuclear program for a limited period of time. 
(2) Iran continues to develop ballistic missiles 
in violation of United Nations Security Council Res-
olutions 1747 (2007) and 1929 (2010), has devel-
oped medium-range ballistic missiles to target Israel 
and other United States allies, is working towards 
an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capa-
bility and the CJPOA places no limitations on Iran’s 
ballistic and cruise missile development efforts. 
(3) The Secretary of State has designated Iran 
as a state-sponsor of terrorism since 1984 and for 
the past decade has characterized Iran as the ‘‘most 
active state sponsor of terrorism’’ in the world. 
(4) Iran continues to support Hezbollah in Leb-
anon, the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, Shia mi-
litias in Iraq, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthi rebels in 
Yemen, and other terrorist organizations and ex-
tremists globally. 
(5) Iran continues to conduct malign military 
activities across the Middle East and around the 
globe, which has and will continue to destabilize the 
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region. As the Commander of United States Central 
Command testified to the Committee on Armed 
Services of the House of Representatives on March 
3, 2015, ‘‘the leaders in the region. . . are also 
equally concerned about Iran’s ability to mine the 
Straits, Iran’s cyber capabilities, Iran’s. . . ballistic 
missile capability, as well as the activity of their 
Quds forces... And so whether we get a deal or don’t 
get a deal, I think they will still share those con-
cerns.’’. 
(6) Iran’s destabilizing activities throughout the 
region pose a threat to United States interests, the 
interests of United States allies in the region, and 
international security. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) Iran’s illicit pursuit, development, or acqui-
sition of a nuclear weapons capability and its malign 
military activities overall constitute a grave threat to 
regional stability and the national security interests 
of the United States and its allies and partners; 
(2) Iran continues to expand its malign activi-
ties in the Middle East and globally, which may well 
increase under a CJPOA; 
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(3) sanctions relief under the CJPOA will pro-
vide Iran the ability to increase funding for its bal-
listic missile development programs, acquisition of 
destabilizing types and amounts of conventional 
weapons, support for terrorism, and other malign ac-
tivities throughout the Middle East and globally; 
(4) United States bilateral and multilateral 
sanctions against Iran, once relieved, will be ex-
tremely difficult to reconstitute in response to Ira-
nian violations of its international obligations; 
(5) Iran would be an internationally-approved 
nuclear-threshold state under the framework of the 
CJPOA, which will likely lead to the proliferation of 
nuclear weapons across the Middle East; 
(6) Congress should review and assess all ele-
ments of any agreement entered into between the 
countries of the P5+1 and Iran and it should ap-
prove or disapprove of any sanctions relief that re-
sults from such an agreement; 
(7) the United States must continue to support 
the defense of allies and partners in the region, in-
cluding Israel, strengthening ballistic missile defense 
capabilities, and increasing security assistance; 
(8) Congress supports efforts to reach a peace-
ful, diplomatic solution to permanently and verifiably 
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end Iran’s pursuit, development, and acquisition of 
a nuclear weapons capability, and it reaffirms that 
it is United States policy that Iran will not be al-
lowed to develop a nuclear weapons capability and 
that all instruments of United States power must be 
considered to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear 
weapon; 
(9) Congress reaffirms the rights of United 
States allies to exercise their legitimate right to self- 
defense against the Government of Iran; 
(10) the sale of advanced weaponry to Iran, 
particularly advanced air defenses, encourages bad 
behavior by Iran and poses a high risk of desta-
bilizing the region and should be opposed; and 
(11) no terrorism-related sanctions should be 
lifted or loosened as a part of any nuclear agreement 
and additional sanctions should be considered 
against Iran due to Iran’s continued state sponsor-
ship of terrorism, its development and proliferation 
of ballistic missile technology, its continued biologi-
cal and chemical weapons programs, and the egre-
gious violation of the human rights of the Iranian 
people. 
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SEC. 1233. REPORT ON MILITARY POSTURE REQUIRED IN 
THE MIDDLE EAST TO DETER IRAN FROM DE-
VELOPING A NUCLEAR WEAPON. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to Congress a report regarding the military 
posture required in the Middle East to deter Iran from 
developing a nuclear weapon. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include a discussion of the 
military forces, bases and capabilities required to— 
(1) maintain a military option of preventing 
Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon; 
(2) counter Iran’s military activities; and 
(3) protect the United States military and other 
interests in the region. 
SEC. 1234. LIMITATION ON MILITARY-TO-MILITARY EX-
CHANGES AND CONTACTS WITH IRAN. 
(a) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of Defense may not 
authorize any military-to-military exchange or contact de-
scribed in subsection (b) to be conducted by the Armed 
Forces or Department of Defense civilians with represent-
atives of the military or paramilitary forces (including the 
IRGC) of the Islamic Republic of Iran until the Secretary 
certifies that Iran— 
(1) has ended its ballistic missile program; 
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