Members of the Republican Study Committee introduced six bills to prevent President Joe Biden’s administration from entering back into a nuclear deal with Iran.
The bills seek to enforce further sanctions on Iran and look to stop the Biden administration from entering into a new Iranian nuclear deal or back into the previous one that started under President Barack Obama in 2015.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAYS PROGRESS ON IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL 'MOVING BACKWARDS'
One bill would expand and strengthen sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the primary branch of the Iranian military. Another one would prohibit Biden from lifting sanctions on Iranian terrorists unless those entities can prove they have stopped engaging in terrorism. Another bill would use an executive order from the Obama administration to sanction Iran’s government leaders, police, security forces, and the IRGC.
The bill that would significantly hinder any hope the Biden administration has of entering into a nuclear deal with Iran is by Rep. John James (R-MI). His bill, the Address Iran's Malign Posture Act, would label any nuclear agreement between Biden and Iran as a “formal treaty,” which would require it to receive congressional approval.
“Moving forward, Congress must be in the driver’s seat for any negotiations with Iran on a nuclear agreement. That’s why I introduced the ‘Address Iran’s Malign Posture Act,’” James said in a statement. “Not only does it require the Biden administration to work with us to address Iran’s nuclear efforts, but it also targets any financial support to Iran’s most dangerous organization — the IRGC.”
The package was put together by the committee’s National Security Task Force, which includes the task force’s chairman Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Reps. Pat Fallon (R-TX), Bryan Steil (R-WI), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Cory Mills (R-FL), and James.
If the bills make it to the floor, they should have no problem passing out of the Republican-controlled House. But, in the Senate, they face a less clear path because Democrats have the majority.
The move comes after Axios reported Biden is considering a “freeze-for-freeze” agreement with Iran in which the U.S. would freeze some of the sanctions on Iran, and in return, Iran would freeze part of its nuclear program. The Washington Examiner reported that the U.S. has not ruled out revitalizing an Iranian nuclear deal.
“The RSC has not forgotten about the Biden administration’s continuing attempts to re-enter the Iran deal or enter into an even worse agreement – but the Biden Administration hopes no one is paying attention,” RSC Chairman Kevin Hern (R-OK) said in a statement. “RSC members will not allow him to put more lives at risk. Biden's weak posture on Iran is empowering bad actors around the world; we must put a stop to it before it's too late.”
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Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement in 2018 and instead opted to impose “the highest level of economic sanctions” on the country. In addition, Trump vowed to sanction “any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons.” In response, a number of American and European companies, including Boeing and Airbus, cut ties with the country to avoid being sanctioned.
Trump’s main quarrel with the deal was the sunset clause. The limitations of the clause on Iran’s use and development of new technologies for uranium enhancement would begin phasing out in 2025. Trump claimed in 2018 that if the deal were allowed to remain, it would create a “nuclear arms race in the Middle East” in which every country would be rushing to get nuclear weapons by the time Iran was allowed to have its.