Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012
PL 112-220 (H.R.3783), enacted 12/28/2012

126 STAT. 1596 
PUBLIC LAW 112–220—DEC. 28, 2012 
Public Law 112–220 
112th Congress 
An Act 
To provide for a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran’s growing hostile presence 
and activity in the Western Hemisphere, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Countering Iran in the Western 
Hemisphere Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United States has vital political, economic, and 
security interests in the Western Hemisphere. 
(2) Iran is pursuing cooperation with Latin American coun-
tries by signing economic and security agreements in order 
to create a network of diplomatic and economic relationships 
to lessen the blow of international sanctions and oppose 
Western attempts to constrict its ambitions. 
(3) According to the Department of State, Hezbollah, with 
Iran as its state sponsor, is considered the ‘‘most technically 
capable terrorist group in the world’’ with ‘‘thousands of sup-
porters, several thousand members, and a few hundred terrorist 
operatives,’’ and officials from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary 
Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force have been working in concert 
with Hezbollah for many years. 
(4) The IRGC’s Qods Force has a long history of supporting 
Hezbollah’s military, paramilitary, and terrorist activities, pro-
viding it with guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and 
logistical support, and in 2007, the Department of the Treasury 
placed sanctions on the IRGC and its Qods Force for their 
support of terrorism and proliferation activities. 
(5) The IRGC’s Qods Force stations operatives in foreign 
embassies, charities, and religious and cultural institutions to 
foster relationships, often building on existing socioeconomic 
ties with the well established Shia Diaspora, and recent years 
have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America. 
(6) According to the Department of Defense, the IRGC 
and its Qods Force played a significant role in some of the 
deadliest terrorist attacks of the past two decades, including 
the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in 
Buenos Aires, by generally directing or supporting the groups 
that actually executed the attacks. 
(7) Reports of Iranian intelligence agents being implicated 
in Hezbollah-linked activities since the early 1990s suggest 
Countering Iran 
in the Western 
Hemisphere Act 
of 2012. 
22 USC 8701 
note. 
Dec. 28, 2012 
[H.R. 3783] 
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126 STAT. 1597 
PUBLIC LAW 112–220—DEC. 28, 2012 
direct Iranian government support of Hezbollah activities in 
the Tri-Border Area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and 
in the past decade, Iran has dramatically increased its diplo-
matic missions to Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, 
Argentina, and Brazil. Iran has built 17 cultural centers in 
Latin America, and it currently maintains 11 embassies, up 
from 6 in 2005. 
(8) Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies with a presence 
in Latin America have raised revenues through illicit activities, 
including drug and arms trafficking, counterfeiting, money 
laundering, forging travel documents, pirating software and 
music, and providing haven and assistance to other terrorists 
transiting the region. 
(9) Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela 
expressed their intention to assist Iran in evading sanctions 
by signing a statement supporting Iran’s nuclear activities and 
announcing at a 2010 joint press conference in Tehran their 
determination to ‘‘continue and expand their economic ties to 
Iran’’ with confidence that ‘‘Iran can give a crushing response 
to the threats and sanctions imposed by the West and impe-
rialism’’. 
(10) The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration concluded 
in 2008 that almost one-half of the foreign terrorist organiza-
tions in the world are linked to narcotics trade and trafficking, 
including Hezbollah and Hamas. 
(11) In October 2011, the United States charged two men, 
Manssor Arbabsiar, a United States citizen holding both Ira-
nian and United States passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an 
Iran-based member of Iran’s IRGC Qods Force, with conspiracy 
to murder a foreign official using explosives in an act of ter-
rorism. Arbabsiar traveled to Mexico with the express intent 
to hire ‘‘someone in the narcotics business’’ to carry out the 
assassination of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in the United 
States. While in the end, he only engaged a U.S. Drug Enforce-
ment Agency informant posing as an associate of a drug traf-
ficking cartel, Arbabsiar believed that he was working with 
a member of a Mexican drug trafficking organization and sought 
to send money to this individual in installments and not in 
a single transfer. 
(12) In February 2011, actions by the Department of the 
Treasury effectively shut down the Lebanese Canadian Bank. 
Subsequent actions by the United States Government in connec-
tion with the investigation into Lebanese Canadian Bank 
resulted in the indictment in December 2011 of Ayman Joumaa, 
an individual of Lebanese nationality, with citizenship in Leb-
anon and Colombia, and with ties to Hezbollah, for trafficking 
cocaine to the Los Zetas drug trafficking organization in Mexico 
City for sale in the United States and for laundering the 
proceeds. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It shall be the policy of the United States to use a comprehen-
sive government-wide strategy to counter Iran’s growing hostile 
presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere by working 
together with United States allies and partners in the region to 
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126 STAT. 1598 
PUBLIC LAW 112–220—DEC. 28, 2012 
mutually deter threats to United States interests by the Govern-
ment of Iran, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 
(IRGC), the IRGC’s Qods Force, and Hezbollah. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) WESTERN
HEMISPHERE.—The term ‘‘Western Hemi-
sphere’’ means the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Carib-
bean, South America, and Central America. 
(2) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term ‘‘rel-
evant congressional committees’’ means the Committee on For-
eign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT OF A STRATEGY TO ADDRESS IRAN’S GROWING 
HOSTILE PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY IN THE WESTERN HEMI-
SPHERE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall conduct 
an assessment of the threats posed to the United States by Iran’s 
growing presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere and 
submit to the relevant congressional committees the results of the 
assessment and a strategy to address Iran’s growing hostile pres-
ence and activity in the Western Hemisphere. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy described in sub-
section (a) should include— 
(1) a description of the presence, activities, and operations 
of Iran, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), 
its Qods Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations 
linked to Iran that may be present in the Western Hemisphere, 
including information about their leaders, objectives, and areas 
of influence and information on their financial networks, traf-
ficking activities, and safe havens; 
(2) a description of the terrain, population, ports, foreign 
firms, airports, borders, media outlets, financial centers, foreign 
embassies, charities, religious and cultural centers, and income- 
generating activities in the Western Hemisphere utilized by 
Iran, the IRGC, its Qods Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist 
organizations linked to Iran that may be present in the Western 
Hemisphere; 
(3) a description of the relationship of Iran, the IRGC, 
its Qods Force, and Hezbollah with transnational criminal 
organizations linked to Iran and other terrorist organizations 
in the Western Hemisphere, including information on financial 
networks and trafficking activities; 
(4) a description of the relationship of Iran, the IRGC, 
its Qods Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations 
linked to Iran that may be present in the Western Hemisphere 
with the governments in the Western Hemisphere, including 
military-to-military relations and diplomatic, economic, and 
security partnerships and agreements; 
(5) a description of the Federal law enforcement capabili-
ties, military forces, State and local government institutions, 
and other critical elements, such as nongovernmental organiza-
tions, in the Western Hemisphere that may organize to counter 
the threat posed by Iran, the IRGC, its Qods Force, Hezbollah, 
and other terrorist organizations linked to Iran that may be 
present in the Western Hemisphere; 
Deadline. 
Assessment. 
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126 STAT. 1599 
PUBLIC LAW 112–220—DEC. 28, 2012 
(6) a description of activity by Iran, the IRGC, its Qods 
Force, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations linked to 
Iran that may be present at the United States borders with 
Mexico and Canada and at other international borders within 
the Western Hemisphere, including operations related to drug, 
human, and arms trafficking, human support networks, finan-
cial support, narco-tunneling, and technological advancements 
that incorporates— 
(A) with respect to the United States borders, in 
coordination with the Governments of Mexico and Canada 
and the Secretary of Homeland Security, a plan to address 
resources, technology, and infrastructure to create a secure 
United States border and strengthen the ability of the 
United States and its allies to prevent operatives from 
Iran, the IRGC, its Qods Force, Hezbollah, or any other 
terrorist organization from entering the United States; and 
(B) within Latin American countries, a multiagency 
action plan, in coordination with United States allies and 
partners in the region, that includes the development of 
strong rule-of-law institutions to provide security in such 
countries and a counterterrorism and counter-radicalization 
plan to isolate Iran, the IRGC, its Qods Force, Hezbollah, 
and other terrorist organizations linked to Iran that may 
be present in the Western Hemisphere from their sources 
of financial support and counter their facilitation of ter-
rorist activity; and 
(7) a plan— 
(A) to address any efforts by foreign persons, entities, 
and governments in the region to assist Iran in evading 
United States and international sanctions; 
(B) to protect United States interests and assets in 
the Western Hemisphere, including embassies, consulates, 
businesses, energy pipelines, and cultural organizations, 
including threats to United States allies; 
(C) to support United States efforts to designate per-
sons and entities in the Western Hemisphere for prolifera-
tion activities and terrorist activities relating to Iran, 
including affiliates of the IRGC, its Qods Force, and 
Hezbollah, under applicable law including the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act; and 
(D) to address the vital national security interests of 
the United States in ensuring energy supplies from the 
Western Hemisphere that are free from the influence of 
any foreign government that would attempt to manipulate 
or disrupt global energy markets. 
(c) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing the strategy under this sec-
tion, the Secretary of State shall consult with the heads of all 
appropriate United States departments and agencies, including the 
Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of the Treasury, 
the Attorney General, and the United States Trade Representative. 
(d) FORM.—The strategy in this section may be submitted in 
classified form, but shall include an unclassified summary of policy 
recommendations to address the growing Iranian threat in the 
Western Hemisphere. 
Recommenda- 
tions. 
Consultation. 
Plans. 
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126 STAT. 1600 
PUBLIC LAW 112–220—DEC. 28, 2012 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 3783: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 158 (2012): 
Sept. 19, considered and passed House. 
Dec. 12, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Dec. 18, House concurred in Senate amendment. 
SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should 
keep the relevant congressional committees continually informed 
on the hostile actions of Iran in the Western Hemisphere. 
SEC. 7. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the rights 
or protections enjoyed by United States citizens under the United 
States Constitution or other Federal law, or to create additional 
authorities for the Federal Government that are contrary to the 
United States Constitution and United States law. 
Approved December 28, 2012. 
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