Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
Referred in SenateMar 17, 2026

Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025

73 sections · 6 min read

Section 1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025.

Section 2. Statement of policy

It is the policy of the United States—

(1) to fully enforce sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including with respect to Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors;

(2) through such sanctions, to deny Iran financial resources—

(A) to advance its nuclear weapons capabilities;

(B) to finance the development of weapons of mass destruction;

(C) to support missile and drone proliferation;

(D) to fund and facilitate international terrorism;

(E) to engage in destabilizing efforts abroad, including the targeting of United States citizens; and

(F) to repress the rights of Iranian citizens; and

(3) to strengthen coherence among members of the international community with respect to enforcing sanctions against malign activities of Iran.

Section 3. Expanding the rewards for justice program to cover persons violating or evading united states sanctions against Iran

Section 36(b) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2708(b)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (14), by striking; or and inserting a semicolon;

(2) in paragraph (15), by striking the period at the end and inserting; or; and

(3) by adding at the end the following paragraph:

(16) the identification of each person described in section 4(a) of the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 or section 3 of the Stop Harboring Petroleum Act (22 U.S.C. 8572) that has attempted or is attempting to evade sanctions imposed under either such Act with proceeds generated by transactions related to oil, condensates, or other petroleum or petrochemical products from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

(3) .

(a) In general

On and after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President may impose the sanctions described in subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person that the President determines—

(1) has knowingly engaged in any significant transaction related or incidental to the processing, refining, export, transfer or sale of oil, condensates, or other petroleum or petrochemical product in whole or in part from Iran;

(2) is a subsidiary of a foreign person described in paragraph (1);

(3) is a corporate officer, principal executive officer, or other person performing similar functions of either such officer, of a foreign person described in paragraph (1);

(4) is an immediate family member of a foreign person described in paragraph (1) who demonstrably benefits from any activity described in paragraph (1); or

(5) directly or indirectly conducts a significant transaction with, for, or on behalf of a foreign person described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of section 3(b) of the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act (22 U.S.C. 8572).

(b) Sanctions described

The sanctions described in this subsection are the following:

(1) Blocking of property

The President shall, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), block and prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property of a foreign person subject to sanctions pursuant to subsection (a) if such property and interests in property are in the United States, come within the United States, or are or come within the possession or control of a United States person.

(A) Visas, admission, or parole

In the case of an alien subject to sanctions pursuant to subsection (a), the alien is—

(i) inadmissible to the United States;

(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other documentation to enter the United States; and

(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or paroled into the United States or to receive any other benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).

(i) In general

The visa or other entry documentation of an alien described in subparagraph (A) shall be revoked, regardless of when such visa or other entry documentation was issued.

(ii) Immediate effect

A revocation under clause (i) shall—

(I) take effect in accordance with section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)); and

(II) cancel any other valid visa or entry documentation that is in the alien’s possession.

(1) Exception to comply with international obligations

Sanctions under subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to an alien if admitting or paroling the alien into the United States is necessary to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the United States, or other applicable international obligations.

(2) Exception for authorized intelligence and law enforcement activities

Sanctions under subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to activities subject to the reporting requirements under title V of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) or any authorized intelligence, law enforcement, or national security activities of the United States.

(A) In general

Sanctions under subsection (a) shall not apply to—

(i) the conduct or facilitation of a transaction for the provision of agricultural commodities, food, medicine, medical devices, or humanitarian assistance, or for humanitarian purposes to or for the people of Iran; or

(ii) transactions that are necessary for or related to the activities described in clause (i).

(B) Definitions

In this paragraph—

(i) the term agricultural commodity has the meaning given that term in section 102 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602);

(ii) the term medical device has the meaning given the term device in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321); and

(iii) the term medicine has the meaning given the term drug in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).

(4) Exception for safety of vessels and crew

Sanctions under subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to a person providing provisions to a vessel otherwise subject to sanctions under this section if such provisions are intended for the safety and care of the crew aboard the vessel, the protection of human life aboard the vessel, or the maintenance of the vessel to avoid any environmental or other significant damage.

(1) In general

The President may, on a case-by-case basis for a period of not more than 180 days, waive the application of sanctions imposed with respect to a foreign person under subsection (a) if the President—

(A) certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the waiver is in the national interests of the United States; and

(B) submits with the certification required under subparagraph (A) a detailed justification explaining the reasons for the waiver.

(2) Renewal of waiver

The President may, on a case-by-case basis, renew a waiver issued under paragraph (1) for additional periods of not more than 180 days if the President—

(A) determines that the renewal of the waiver is vital to the national interests of the United States; and

(B) submits to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the renewal of the waiver that includes—

(i) a justification for the renewal of the waiver;

(ii) a detailed plan to phase out the need for any such waiver issued with respect to such foreign person; and

(iii) for reoccurring waivers, steps taken to implement or otherwise further the plan described in clause (ii).

(1) Implementation

The President may exercise all authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out subsection (a).

(2) Regulations

Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall issue regulations or other guidance as may be necessary for the implementation of this section.

(3) Penalties

The penalties provided for in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to any person who violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of any prohibition of this section, or an order or regulation prescribed under this section, to the same extent that such penalties apply to a person that commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a) of such Act (50 U.S.C. 1705(a)).

(f) Termination of sanctions

Consistent with the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–172; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note), the requirement to impose sanctions under subsection (a) shall cease to be effective beginning on the date that is 30 days after the date on which the President certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that—

(1) the Government of Iran no longer repeatedly provides support for international terrorism as determined by the Secretary of State pursuant to—

(A) section 1754(c)(1)(A) of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4318(c)(1)(A));

(B) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371);

(C) section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2780); or

(D) any other related provision of law; and

(2) Iran has ceased the pursuit, acquisition, and development of, and verifiably dismantled its, nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and ballistic missiles and ballistic missile launch technology.

(1) In general

The authorities and requirements to impose sanctions under this section shall not include the authority or a requirement to impose sanctions on the importation of goods.

(2) Good defined

In this subsection, the term good means any article, natural or manmade substance, material, supply, or manufactured product, including inspection and test equipment, and excluding technical data.

Section 5. Definitions

In this Act:

(1) Admitted; alien

The terms admitted and alien have the meanings given those terms in section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)).

(2) Appropriate congressional committees

The term appropriate congressional committees means—

(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives.

(3) Foreign person

The term foreign person means a person that is not a United States person, including the government of a foreign country.

(4) Knowingly

The term knowingly, with respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, means that a person has actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the result.

(5) Property; interest in property

The terms property and interest in property have the meanings given the terms property and property interest, respectively, in section 560.325 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act.

(6) United states person

The term United States person means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.

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