# Iran Counterterrorism Act of 2023: Plain Language Summary

This bill makes it harder for the President to ease economic sanctions against Iran's financial sector without Congress getting a say in the decision. Right now, the President has the power to waive (temporarily lift) certain financial sanctions on Iran if they think it's in the national interest. This bill adds a new requirement: before the President can waive these sanctions, they must first prove that Iran has stopped supporting terrorist organizations, or they have to get Congress to approve the waiver through a special voting process.

Here's how the new approval process works in practical terms. When the President wants to waive sanctions, they have to submit a detailed report to Congress explaining why. Congress then gets 30 days to review this decision (or 60 days if the report comes in during summer). During this review period, Congress can introduce a resolution either approving or disapproving the waiver. If Congress votes to disapprove the waiver, the President has to wait an additional 12 days before they can proceed. If Congress actually passes a disapproval resolution, the President can still veto it, but then has to wait another 10 days. If Congress overrides the President's veto, the waiver is blocked entirely and cannot happen.

The bill essentially shifts power from the President alone to require some level of Congressional involvement in decisions about Iran sanctions. This means that if you care about U.S. policy toward Iran—whether you think sanctions should be tougher or more flexible—Congress will now have a mandatory opportunity to weigh in before major changes happen. The bill applies these same rules to two different sets of existing Iran sanctions laws, making the Congressional review process consistent across them.

Iran Counterterrorism Act of 2023

Kim, Young

Iran Counterterrorism Act of 2023 This bill modifies the authority of the President to waive restrictions on certain U.S. accounts of foreign financial institutions that have facilitated significant financial transactions on behalf of the Central Bank of Iran, certain Iranian financial institutions, or certain Iranian nationals. Current law authorizes the President to waive these restrictions for national security purposes. Under this bill, the President may also waive the restrictions if the President determines that Iran has ceased to provide support for acts of international terrorism. The bill also authorizes Congress to enact a joint resolution of disapproval to prevent the President from waiving the restrictions for national security purposes.