US Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Sanction Iran Leader, President
A bill proposed by a US Republican lawmaker, dubbed the Mahsa Amini Act, would impose sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi.
A bill proposed by a US Republican lawmaker, dubbed the Mahsa Amini Act, would impose sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi.
The bill which would “impose sanctions on the supreme leader of Iran and the president of Iran and their respective offices for human rights abuses and support for terrorism.”
The Mahsa Amini Act, named after the 22-year-old woman who was killed in the custody of Iran’s hijab police, would block the assets of all officials of the Islamic Republic, including Khamenei and Raisi who can be considered the main decision makers in human rights abuses.
Such legislation would have a symbolic impact on the Iranian leaders, but any additional sanctions would mean further isolation for the Islamic Republic and make it harder for the Biden Administration to make a new nuclear deal with Tehran.
“The supreme leader holds ultimate authority over Iran’s judiciary and security apparatus, including the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, law enforcement forces under the Interior Ministry, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Basij, a nationwide volunteer paramilitary group subordinate to the IRGC, all of which have engaged in human rights abuses in Iran,” states the legislation.
The bill further says that “the IRGC, a United States designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, which reports to the supreme leader, continues to perpetrate terrorism around the globe, including attempts to kill and kidnap American citizens on United States soil.”
It also expresses “the sense of Congress that the United States shall stand with and support the people of Iran in their demand for fundamental human rights.”
Congressional sources told the Washington Free Beacon that the bill was presented to the offices of every Democratic member of the House of Representatives, but none of them supported the plan.
Claudia Tenney the Republican lawmaker says Congress must not lose the chance to help protesters by increasing sanctions on the Iranian regime.
“The Iranian regime’s heartless murder of Mahsa Amini once again exposed the reality that Iran’s government abuses and subjugates women,” said Tenney adding that “the brutal crackdown on protesters has shown their disdain for basic human rights and underscores the need for a more permanent sanctions regime against the Iranian government.”
Likewise, Republican Michael Waltz, who is one of the coauthors of the bill, says “We’re nearly two years into the Biden administration and it’s clear their appeasement policy towards Iran isn’t working.”
“The Iran regime continues to export terrorism, repress its people, directly aid Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, and is closer to a nuclear weapon than ever before. We need to stand up for our national security and the people of Iran by reimposing crippling sanctions on the Iran Regime,” underlined Waltz.
The Biden Administration has taken several steps since the protests in Iran began in mid-September. It has issued sanctions against some officials and entities and has signaled that nuclear talks with Iran have been put on the backburner. But its lax enforcement of oil export sanctions since early 2021, has allowed China to import more Iranian crude, which has somewhat boosted the regime’s income.
According to the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights Organization at least 215 people, including 27 children have been killed with excessive and lethal force throughout Iran during the current antigovernment protests.
