03.14.22

Hoeven Presses Administration to Maintain Strong Sanctions & Restrictions on Iran's Nuclear Program

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today joined Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in pressing the Biden administration to not weaken sanctions or lessen restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. The senators outlined that they will not support a revived Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, unless it has broad support from Congress and is submitted to the Senate for ratification. 

“Republicans have made it clear: We would be willing and eager to support an Iran policy that completely blocks Iran’s path to a nuclear weapons capability, constrains Iran’s ballistic missile program, and confronts Iran’s support for terrorism,” the senators wrote. “But if the administration agrees to a deal that fails to achieve these objectives or makes achieving them more difficult, Republicans will do everything in our power to reverse it. Unless Iran ceases its support for terrorism, we will oppose removing and seek to reimpose any terrorism-related sanctions. And we will force the Senate to vote on any Administration effort to do so.” 

The statement was signed by forty-nine Republican Senators. In addition to today’s statement, Hoeven’s previous actions to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon include: 

  • Helping introduce the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2021, legislation that would enable Congress to approve or block any effort by the Biden administration to suspend or terminate U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime.
  • Pressing President Biden to comply with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA), which Hoeven cosponsored in the Senate and helped pass in 2015.
    • The law requires the president to submit any Iran deal to Congress for evaluation.
    • Hoeven and his colleagues have committed to block any Iran nuclear deal that is not submitted.
  • Helping introduce legislation to prohibit the U.S. from importing Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products and liquified natural gas. 

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