Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - 2/21/2025… This week, Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Ranking Member of the same Subcommittee, introduced the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act. This bipartisan bill aims to strengthen secondary sanctions on foreign entities enabling Iran’s illicit oil trade. The Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act includes the following provisions:

• Enacts new secondary sanctions on additional foreign entities that engage in transactions involved in the processing, export, or sale of illicit Iranian oil. Listed entities include banks, other financial institutions, insurance providers, flagging registries, pipeline construction, and operation facilities for liquified natural gas.
• Requires the State Department to establish an Interagency Working Group on Iranian Sanctions.
• Requires the State Department to establish a multilateral contact group with like-minded nations to coordinate international efforts to enforce sanctions imposed on Iran.
• States that it is U.S. policy to fully enforce sanctions against all persons involved in the international logistical chain that provides support to the energy sector of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Iran’s continued exploitation of weak spots in the global sanctions framework is a direct threat to global stability, and we can no longer stand by while Tehran collects more money to fund terror in the Middle East,” said Congressman Lawler (NY-17). “We must shut down the revenue streams that fuel Iran’s dangerous activities and hold those who support Iran’s illicit oil trade accountable.”

“Our regional partners and allies in the Middle East are counting on us to stop Iran before it’s too late,” Congressman Lawler concluded. “The new sanctions imposed in the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act will give us a broader ability to quash Iran’s illicit oil trade for good.”

“We must take all necessary measures to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and to halt its support for terrorism”, said Ranking Member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. “This bipartisan legislation will tighten sanctions on Iranian oil—a crucial source of revenue for the regime—enhancing the security of the United States and our regional allies, including Israel,” said Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20).

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.

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A copy of the full bill text can be found here.