U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) has sponsored legislation that would impose sanctions on certain persons contributing to the proliferation of arms in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“For decades there has been a strong bipartisan consensus on the need to restrict the transfer of conventional arms to and from Iran,” Rep. Bacon said on Feb. 8. “Unfortunately, the United Nations Security Council lifted these restrictions last year.”
Rep. Bacon introduced the Iranian Arms Transfer Prevention Act of 2021, H.R. 857, with cosponsor U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) to require that the United States impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the transfer of conventional weapons in and out of Iran, where its conventional arms trade threatens the national security of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the region, including Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, among others, according to Rep. Bacon’s office.
“While there may be a legitimate disagreement on the best way to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, one thing we can all agree on is that countries like Russia and China should not be selling weapons to the world’s top exporter of terrorism,” said Rep. Bacon.
The 2015 United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) that affirmed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iranian Nuclear Deal, rescinded two previous UNSCR resolutions that blocked conventional arms transactions by Iran. The measures lapsed in October 2020, effectively lifting the international arms embargo on Iran for the first time since 2007, according to the congressman’s office.
“The Iranian Arms Transfer Prevention Act is common sense legislation that restores these long-standing restrictions by imposing costs on entities and individuals who facilitate the sale or transfer of weapons to the Iranian regime,” Rep. Bacon said. “Passing this bill is a necessary and prudent action until Iran abandons its policies of regional aggression and support for international terrorism.”