Like similar bill S. 2984 of 5/25/16, this measure would facilitate the application of new sanctions on Iran in relation to the Iranian navy’s boarding of 2 U.S. naval vessels and capture of their crews on 1/12/16. Specifically, it would require the president to report to Congress within 2 mos. with a determination of whether or not the incident constituted a violation of the Geneva Convention or other international laws, and whether or not the $1.7 b. paid to Iran on 1/17/16 was in exchange for the U.S. seamen captured on 1/12/16, or for the 5 U.S. citizens released by Iran on 1/16/16. (Republican leaders at the time alleged that the payment was some type of ransom, but the Obama administration insisted that the timing of the payment was coincidental: long-frozen Iranian money was merely being returned as a result of unrelated legal claims.) Thirty days after submitting the initial report, the president would be directed to submit a list of Iranian persons complicit in any violations of the Geneva Convention or other international laws, and to impose sanctions on them.
11 cosponsors (11R).
Last major action: 5/25/16 referred to House Judiciary Comm.