What This Bill Does
This bill directs the President to impose sanctions (penalties that restrict trade and financial dealings) against Iranian people and financial institutions that help Russia in its military actions against Ukraine. The bill also sets strict rules that prevent the President from removing these sanctions unless specific conditions are met.
Who It Affects
Iranian individuals and companies that sell military equipment or provide military training to Russia. Iranian financial institutions that handle money for Russia or sanctioned Russian military groups. The Central Bank of Iran. Congressional committees that oversee foreign relations and banking. Anyone currently on the SDN list (a government list of blocked individuals and entities).
Key Provisions
* The President must impose sanctions within 120 days on Iranian people who provide military support to Russia, including selling unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles, armored vehicles, ammunition and conventional weapons (Sec. 2(a)(1)).
* The President must impose sanctions on Iranian financial institutions that process transactions for Russia's military forces or designated Russian persons (Sec. 2(a)(2)).
* Iranian people cannot be removed from the SDN list unless the President certifies they have not sold weapons to Russia or provided military training to Russia in the past year (Sec. 3).
* Iran's designation as a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern cannot be removed unless the President certifies Iran is no longer supporting Russia's military forces and Russia is no longer using weapons obtained from Iran (Sec. 4).
What Changes
If this law passes, the President becomes required to sanction Iranian entities helping Russia within 120 days. Any future removal of these sanctions requires presidential certification to Congress that the Iranian entity has stopped supporting Russia's military for at least one year.
Important Definitions
* Iranian person: An individual who is a citizen of Iran or a company organized under Iranian law (Sec. 5(3)).
* Russian person: An individual who is a citizen of Russia or a company organized under Russian law (Sec. 5(4)).
* Iranian financial institution: A bank or money-handling business organized in Iran, located in Iran, or owned by the Iranian government (Sec. 5(2)).
* SDN list: The government's official list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Treasury Department (Sec. 5(5)).
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 451
To impose sanctions and establish strict conditions on the termination of
sanctions in response to acts of aggression by the Islamic Republic
of Iran and the Russian Federation against the people of Ukraine,
and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Mr. LANKFORD introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
A BILL
To impose sanctions and establish strict conditions on the
termination of sanctions in response to acts of aggression
by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federa-
tion against the people of Ukraine, and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Deterring Iranian Sup-
4
port for Russia in Ukraine and Pre-empting Terrorism
5
Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘DISRUPT Act of 2023’’.
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•S 451 IS
SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO IRA-
1
NIAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FOR SUP-
2
PORTING
RUSSIAN
AGGRESSION
AGAINST
3
UKRAINE.
4
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the
5
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall im-
6
pose sanctions under the International Emergency Eco-
7
nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) with respect
8
to—
9
(1) an Iranian person that the President deter-
10
mines provides material, tactical, or operational sup-
11
port for activities by the Russian Federation against
12
Ukraine, including—
13
(A) selling or entering into an agreement
14
to sell defense articles to the Armed Forces of
15
the Russian Federation or any other agency or
16
instrumentality of the Russian Federation, in-
17
cluding—
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(i) unmanned aerial vehicles;
19
(ii) surface-to-surface missiles;
20
(iii) short-range ballistic missiles;
21
(iv) armored ground vehicles;
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(v) munitions; and
23
(vi) conventional arms;
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(B) providing or entering into an agree-
25
ment to provide defense services, including
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•S 451 IS
training related to the sale of defense articles
1
described in subparagraph (A), to the Armed
2
Forces of the Russian Federation or any such
3
agency or instrumentality; and
4
(C) acquiring or entering into an agree-
5
ment to acquire defense articles from the
6
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or any
7
such agency or instrumentality; and
8
(2) any Iranian financial institution, including
9
the Central Bank of Iran, that facilitates trans-
10
actions with or on behalf of a Russian person, in-
11
cluding a Russian person described in subsection
12
(b), that the President determines provides material,
13
tactical, or operational support for activities by the
14
Russian Federation against Ukraine.
15
(b) PERSONS DESCRIBED.—A person described in
16
this subsection is any of the following:
17
(1) Any agency or instrumentality of the Armed
18
Forces of the Russian Federation.
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(2) The Wagner Group.
20
(3) The Central Bank of the Russian Federa-
21
tion.
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(4) Any Russian person on the SDN list.
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•S 451 IS
SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON REMOVING IRANIAN PERSONS
1
FROM SDN LIST.
2
An Iranian person may not be removed from the
3
SDN list unless the President submits to the appropriate
4
congressional committees a certification that the Iranian
5
person has not, during the 1-year period preceding the
6
date of the certification—
7
(1) sold or entered into an agreement to sell de-
8
fense articles to the Armed Forces of the Russian
9
Federation or any other agency or instrumentality of
10
the Russian Federation, including—
11
(A) unmanned aerial vehicles;
12
(B) surface-to-surface missiles;
13
(C) short-range ballistic missiles;
14
(D) armored ground vehicles;
15
(E) munitions; and
16
(F) conventional arms;
17
(2) provided or entered into an agreement to
18
provide defense services, including training related
19
to the sale of defense articles described in paragraph
20
(1), to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
21
or any such agency or instrumentality;
22
(3) acquired or entered into an agreement to
23
acquire defense articles from the Armed Forces of
24
the Russian Federation or any such agency or in-
25
strumentality; or
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•S 451 IS
(4) engaged in a transaction or transactions
1
with any Russian person, including a Russian finan-
2
cial institution, with respect to which sanctions have
3
been imposed pursuant to the International Emer-
4
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et
5
seq.).
6
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON REVOCATION OF DESIGNATION OF
7
IRAN AS JURISDICTION OF PRIMARY MONEY
8
LAUNDERING CONCERN.
9
The designation of Iran as a jurisdiction of primary
10
money laundering concern under section 5318A of title 31,
11
United States Code, may not be revoked unless the Presi-
12
dent submits to the appropriate congressional committees
13
a certification that—
14
(1) the Government of Iran is no longer en-
15
gaged in providing material or financial support to
16
the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or any
17
other agency or instrumentality of the Russian Fed-
18
eration; and
19
(2) the Armed Forces of the Russian Federa-
20
tion and such agencies and instrumentalities are not
21
actively using defense articles described in section
22
2(a)(1) procured from Iran.
23
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
24
In this Act:
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•S 451 IS
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
1
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
2
mittees’’ means—
3
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations
4
and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and
5
Urban Affairs of the Senate; and
6
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and
7
the Committee on Financial Services of the
8
House of Representatives.
9
(2) IRANIAN
FINANCIAL
INSTITUTION.—The
10
term ‘‘Iranian financial institution’’ means—
11
(A) a financial institution organized under
12
the laws of Iran or any jurisdiction within Iran,
13
including a foreign branch of such an institu-
14
tion;
15
(B) a financial institution located in Iran;
16
(C) a financial institution, wherever lo-
17
cated, owned or controlled by the Government
18
of Iran; and
19
(D) a financial institution, wherever lo-
20
cated, owned or controlled by a financial insti-
21
tution described in subparagraph (A), (B), or
22
(C).
23
(3) IRANIAN PERSON.—The term ‘‘Iranian per-
24
son’’ means—
25
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•S 451 IS
(A) an individual who is a citizen or na-
1
tional of Iran; and
2
(B) an entity organized under the laws of
3
Iran or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of
4
the Government of Iran.
5
(4) RUSSIAN PERSON.—The term ‘‘Russian per-
6
son’’ means—
7
(A) an individual who is a citizen or na-
8
tional of the Russian Federation; or
9
(B) an entity organized under the laws of
10
the Russian Federation or otherwise subject to
11
the jurisdiction of the Government of the Rus-
12
sian Federation.
13
(5) SDN LIST.—The term ‘‘SDN list’’ means
14
the list of specially designated nationals and blocked
15
persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets
16
Control of the Department of the Treasury.
17
Æ
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