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Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul sent a letter to President Biden urging the administration to conduct the sanctions review required in Sec. 108 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act before agreeing to lift any sanctions on Iran as part of a nuclear agreement.

“Reports indicate that you and your team are considering significant sanctions relief related to Iran’s malign activities to reach a nuclear deal with Iran,” Rep. McCaul wrote. “I respectfully urge you to conduct the review required under Sec. 108 before lifting any sanctions related to Iran. This review was legislated in 2017. It would be irresponsible and dangerous to lift sanctions related to Iran’s malign activities without first having a full understanding of the reach of Iran’s threat networks and the regime’s enablers.”

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Mr. President:

I write to remind you of your responsibility under Sec. 108 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (P.L. 115-44) to conduct a review of all persons on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons for activities related to Iran. The law requires that you assess the conduct of such persons regarding contributions to Iran’s ballistic missile program or support by Iran for acts of terrorism, determine the applicability of sanctions under Executive Orders 13382 or 13224, and implement sanctions accordingly. Under the law, this review must be conducted before August 2, 2022.

Reports indicate that you and your team are considering significant sanctions relief related to Iran’s malign activities to reach a nuclear deal with Iran. I respectfully urge you to conduct the review required under Sec. 108 before lifting any sanctions related to Iran. This review was legislated in 2017. It would be irresponsible and dangerous to lift sanctions related to Iran’s malign activities without first having a full understanding of the reach of Iran’s threat networks and the regime’s enablers.

Please provide confirmation of your completion of the required review, as well as any waiver determinations and reports required by the law, as soon as possible in advance of the August 2, 2022 deadline.

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