Sens. Cruz, Perdue, Rubio Introduce Iranian Proxies Terrorist Sanctions Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), David Perdue (R-Ga.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are taking action to sanction two Iranian-controlled militias in Iraq and Syria. This week, the Senators introduced the Iranian Proxies Terrorist Sanctions Act following recently declassified reports that Iran provided ballistic missiles and funding for terrorist activities to two Shi’ite proxies, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba.
“The Obama Iran deal gave the Ayatollahs the resources to expand across the Middle East and created an incentive for the international community to stand aside, even as Iran’s terrorist proxies took root in country after country,” said Sen. Cruz, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We have only begun the tough work of undoing the damage from the deal, which requires not just imposing and enforcing the toughest sanctions we have against the regime, but also implementing targeted measures against specific Iranian proxies.”
“President Trump and Secretary Pompeo have been clear that Iran’s aggressive and destabilizing behavior will not be tolerated,” said Senator Perdue, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “The Iranian regime has no intention of ending their support of terrorism and was empowered by Obama’s weak, poorly-negotiated Iran Deal. For years, Iranian-backed militias have wreaked havoc in Iraq and Syria, killing American soldiers and undermining our national security interests. With the future of Iraq and Syria still at stake, we cannot allow these militias to run rampant.”
“Iran’s dangerous proxy militias in Iraq and Syria pose a serious threat to the Middle East and the world,” said Senator Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “This legislation would impose sanctions against Iran’s proxy militias and their agents and affiliates, and make clear that the United States opposes the Iranian regime’s human rights abuses, pursuit of ballistic missile programs, and terrorist activities around the world.”
Specifically, the Iranian Proxies Terrorist Sanctions Act will:
- Impose terrorism-related sanctions on these two nefarious Iranian-controlled militias in Iraq and Syria. This action follows in the footsteps of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which applied terrorist sanctions to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- Direct the U.S. President to levy the same terrorist sanctions on these two Iranian militias operating in Iraq and Syria.
- Require the U.S. Secretary of State to publish and maintain an annual list of all armed groups receiving assistance from the IRGC, so the public can examine the extent of Iran’s expansionist designs.
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