Title: Urging the United Arab Emirates to immediately end any activities enabling money laundering in violation of United States sanctions against Iran.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution condemns the failure of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to counter money-laundering activities conducted to bypass U.S. sanctions on Iran and urges the UAE to resolve the shortcomings in its laws against money laundering.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 671 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 671

   Urging the United Arab Emirates to immediately end any activities 
   enabling money laundering in violation of United States sanctions 
                             against Iran.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 31, 2019

 Mr. Cleaver submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Urging the United Arab Emirates to immediately end any activities 
   enabling money laundering in violation of United States sanctions 
                             against Iran.

Whereas the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has undertaken efforts to coordinate with 
        United States partners to counter money laundering and terrorist 
        financing and has participated in regional bodies to counter money 
        laundering such as the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action 
        Task Force;
Whereas recent efforts by the UAE to restrain illicit money transfers remain 
        insufficient in addressing concerns about the evasion of United States 
        sanctions and money laundering;
Whereas the Department of State has highlighted the need for the UAE to 
        ``continue increasing the resources devoted to investigating, 
        prosecuting and disrupting money laundering'', according to the 
        Department's ``Narcotics Control Strategy Report'';
Whereas the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) 
        designated 11 entities and individuals involved in procurement on behalf 
        of Iran's ballistic missile program in 2016;
Whereas, in 2016, OFAC sanctioned Mabrooka Trading Co LLC (Mabrooka Trading)--
        based in the UAE--and its China- and UAE-based network that have been 
        involved in procuring goods for Iran's ballistic missile program;
Whereas OFAC targeted two Iranian regime-linked networks pursuant to Executive 
        Order 13382 (2005) for engaging in covert procurement activities 
        benefitting multiple Iranian military organizations in August 2019;
Whereas the second network targeted by OFAC in August 2019 was led by Seyed 
        Hossein Shariat and procured various aluminum alloy products on behalf 
        of components entities owned or controlled by Iran's Ministry of Defense 
        and Armed Forces Logistics; and
Whereas the UAE's lax enforcement of its antiproliferation export control laws 
        have facilitated these violations of United States sanctions policy: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the failure of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 
        to effectively counter money laundering activities conducted by 
        Iranian companies to bypass United States sanctions on Iran; 
        and
            (2) urges the UAE to resolve existing shortcomings in its 
        antimoney laundering laws and regulations, as existing laws are 
        not sufficient to deter the activities of rogue companies.
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