119-sres81

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 81 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 81

Calling on the United Kingdom, France, and Germany

    (E3) to initiate the 
 snapback of sanctions on Iran under United Nations Security Council 
 Resolution 2231

    (2015) .

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 13, 2025

Mr. Ricketts (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Barrasso, Mrs. Capito, Mrs. 
 Blackburn, Mr. Justice, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Sheehy, Mr. Sullivan, Ms. 
Lummis, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Cruz, and Mr. Young) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
 Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

Calling on the United Kingdom, France, and Germany

    (E3) to initiate the 
 snapback of sanctions on Iran under United Nations Security Council 
 Resolution 2231

    (2015) .

Whereas, on July 15, 2015, the P5+1 (the United States, the United Kingdom, 
 France, the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and 
 Germany), the European Union, and the Islamic Republic of Iran finalized 
 the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

    (JCPOA) ;
Whereas the JCPOA required the Government of Iran to implement constraints on 
 its uranium enrichment and heavy water nuclear reactor programs, as well 
 as allow the International Atomic Energy Agency

    (IAEA) to monitor 
 compliance with the agreement;
Whereas, on July 20, 2015, the United Nations Security Council

    (UNSC) passed 
 Resolution 2231 (UNSCR 2231), which endorsed the JCPOA and provided for 
 the termination of all previous UNSC resolutions targeting Iran's 
 nuclear program (1696, 1737, 1747, 1803 1835, and 1929), while 
 maintaining United Nation's arms restrictions on Iran for 5 years and 
 United Nation's prohibitions on Iran's missile and drone activity for 8 
 years;
Whereas, pursuant to the JCPOA, Iran received significant sanctions relief from 
 the previous sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, 
 and previous UNSC resolutions;
Whereas Iran used this sanctions relief to fund its terrorist proxies, regional 
 aggression, and its expansion of its ballistic missile program;
Whereas, on May 8, 2018, President Donald J. Trump announced the United States 
 was ceasing its participation in the JCPOA and reimposing sanctions 
 against Iran that had been previously waived;
Whereas President Trump's successful maximum pressure campaign imposed 
 significant financial costs on Iran's regime ``to alter its course of 
 malign activities and ensure that Iranian bad acts are no longer 
 rewarded'';
Whereas, Iran has repeatedly violated the terms of the JCPOA and UNSCR 2231, 
 including by--

    (1) lifting the cap on its stockpile of uranium;

    (2) increasing its enrichment activities to 60 percent purity, 
expanding its enrichment capabilities;

    (3) resuming its activity at prohibited nuclear facilities; and

    (4) preventing the International Atomic Energy Agency

    (IAEA) from being 
able to effectively monitor its nuclear activities;

Whereas, Iran repeatedly violated UNSCR 2231's restrictions on ballistic missile 
 testing and development, as well as United Nations-imposed and 
 internationally binding arms export and import embargoes;
Whereas UNSCR 2231 includes a formal mechanism for a participant state of the 
 JCPOA, if it believes there has been significant non-performance of 
 commitments under the JCPOA by Iran, to trigger a process that would 
 require the UNSC to ``snapback'' all United Nation sanctions on Iran 
 that has been lifted pursuant to UNSCR 2231;
Whereas, on September 14, 2024, in a joint statement, the United States and 
 United Kingdom acknowledged publicly that Iran's nuclear program ``has 
 never been more advanced and posed a clear threat to regional and global 
 peace and security'';
Whereas, in June and November of 2024, in efforts led by France, Germany, the 
 United Kingdom

    (E3) , and the United States, the IAEA's Board of 
 Governors voted to censure Iran for non-compliance with its obligations 
 under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at 
 Washington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968 (commonly referred to as the 
 ``Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty'' or ``NPT'');
Whereas, on December 9, 2024, the E3 sent a letter to the United Nations 
 Security Council stating, ``We reiterate our determination to use all 
 diplomatic tools to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, 
 including using snapback if necessary.'';
Whereas, on January 6, 2025, President of France Emmanuel Macron said the 
 acceleration of Iran's nuclear program was ``bringing us very close to 
 the breaking point'' and said, ``We will have to ask ourselves whether 
 to use the mechanism for re-establishing sanctions. We are ready to do 
 so if the question arises.'';
Whereas, on January 23, 2025, the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, 
 said that Iran has increased production of 60 percent enriched uranium 
 from 7 kilograms to over 30 kilograms per month, and currently possess 
 about 200 kilograms, which if enriched to 90 percent would amount to at 
 least 5 nuclear weapons; and
Whereas, under UNSCR 2231, the resolution, including the ``snapback'' mechanism, 
 terminates 10 years after Adoption Day for the JCPOA, which will be 
 October 18, 2025: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes that Iran's possession of a nuclear weapon 
 would threaten not only the security of the United States, but 
 global security at large, including United States allies and 
 partners in Europe and the Middle East;

    (2) condemns the Government of Iran's flagrant and repeated 
 violations of commitments it made under the JCPOA and its 
 international obligations under UNSCR 2231;

    (3) condemns the Russian Federation and the People's 
 Republic of China, who remain participants in the JCPOA, for 
 their role in supporting Iran's malign activities;

    (4) reaffirms that the United States Government maintains 
 the right to take any necessary measures to prevent the 
 Government of Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons;

    (5) supports the imposition and enforcement of robust 
 sanctions on Iran for its nuclear and missile programs and on 
 entities and individuals involved in these programs to deter 
 further proliferation efforts; and

    (6) urges the E3 to invoke the ``snapback'' of United 
 Nations sanctions against Iran under UNSCR 2231 as soon as 
 possible before the option expires on October 18, 2025.
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