WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today joined her colleagues in introducing the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2021, a bill that would enable Congress to approve or block any administration effort to suspend or terminate U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime.

“Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and continues to pose a serious threat in the region and across the globe,” Senator Capito said. “The Obama administration’s disastrous Iran nuclear deal did not make America or our allies safer, and instead provided Iran with a windfall of cash to continue to finance terror across the Middle East. Thankfully, the Trump administration recognized this and withdrew from the agreement. Before easing sanctions or even reconsidering entering into a new agreement with the Iranian regime, Congress must have a say, and I’m proud to co-sponsor this legislation to prioritize America’s national security interests.”

Even as Iran continues to support terrorism, regional militancy, missile proliferation, cyber attacks, and other forms of aggression, including rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias targeting U.S. forces in Iraq, the Biden administration last week indicated it wants to negotiate with Tehran to relieve sanctions on the Iranian regime and reenter the flawed nuclear deal.

In effect, the legislation, authored by U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), would prevent the administration from rolling back sanctions in exchange for advancing negotiations or reentering the deal without first securing strong congressional support. The Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2021 builds on the precedent of a 2017 bipartisan law that empowers Congress to vote to support or block Russian sanctions relief, and applies identical congressional review procedure to any future Iran sanctions relief.

Senator Capito is one 19 co-sponsors of Senator Hagerty’s bill, along with U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

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