HR 2468119th CongressIn Committee

No Sanctions Relief for Terrorists Act

Introduced: Mar 27, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

No Sanctions Relief for Terrorists Act would block the approval of any license or waiver for transactions with Iranian individuals or entities that were on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list as of January 20, 2021, unless the President first certifies to four congressional committees that those persons have ceased their involvement in terrorism. In other words, before any new sanctions-relief authorization can be granted for those specific Iranian parties, the Administration must certify to both houses’ foreign affairs and banking committees that those individuals or entities have stopped supporting terrorism. The bill also preserves existing general licenses that OFAC had in effect as of January 20, 2021. Introduced in the 119th Congress, it would impose a certification trigger and tighten the process for granting licenses or waivers related to Iran-related sanctions.

Key Points

1Prohibition on licenses and waivers: No new license or waiver may be granted for transactions with covered Iranian parties unless a presidential certification is provided to specified congressional committees.
2Who counts as a covered (sanctioned) person: Iranian individuals and entities that, as of January 20, 2021, were on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list under authority linked to counterterrorism (EO 13224).
3Certification requirement: The President must certify to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Financial Services, and to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, that these Iranian persons have ceased involvement in terrorism.
4Preservation of existing licenses: The prohibition does not restrict or modify any general license that OFAC had in effect relating to transactions with these persons as of January 20, 2021.
5Status and sponsor: Introduced in the 119th Congress on March 27, 2025; referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Sponsored by Rep. Steil (and Rep. Moore of Alabama).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Iranian individuals and entities on the OFAC SDN list as of January 20, 2021, and U.S. and international parties seeking to engage in transactions with them; U.S. financial institutions and businesses involved in such transactions.Secondary group/area affected: U.S. sanctions policy and enforcement, OFAC licensing procedures, and congressional oversight related to terrorism-financing sanctions.Additional impacts: The bill’s certification requirement could slow or block new sanctions-relief authorizations for listed Iranian parties; could affect any ongoing or planned transactions that would require new licenses or waivers with those individuals/entities, unless those activities are covered by existing general licenses. It also creates a formal, committee-based checkpoint for sanctions relief, potentially affecting diplomatic leverage and negotiations related to Iran.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 31, 2025