# Plain Language Summary: Iran Sanctions Waiver Termination Bill

This bill would cancel certain exemptions that allow Iran to avoid economic penalties that the United States has imposed. To understand what this means, you need to know that back in 2015, the U.S. and several other countries made a deal with Iran called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (often called the Iran nuclear deal). As part of that agreement, the U.S. agreed to lift or reduce certain sanctions—basically financial penalties and trade restrictions—against Iran. Those lifted sanctions are what this bill wants to cancel.

If this bill becomes law, it would reinstate economic pressure on Iran by removing the exemptions that currently allow Iranian businesses and individuals to conduct certain financial transactions and trade activities. This could affect American companies that do business with Iran or Iranian companies, making those transactions illegal or much more difficult. It could also impact global oil prices and international trade, since Iran is a major oil producer. The bill is essentially a way for Congress to reverse course on the nuclear deal without formally withdrawing from it—by eliminating the specific waivers that made the agreement work.

The practical effect would be to make it harder for Iran to sell oil, access international banking systems, and conduct normal trade with other countries. Supporters of this approach argue it puts pressure on Iran's government, while critics worry it could destabilize the region and harm American businesses with existing ties to Iran. The bill is primarily a foreign policy tool aimed at changing U.S. relations with Iran, though it could have ripple effects on energy markets and international commerce.

A bill to terminate certain waivers of sanctions with respect to Iran issued in connection with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and for other purposes.

Cruz, Ted

 <p>This bill revokes certain waivers of sanctions relating to Iran's nuclear activity, including for (1) the modernization or redesign of the Arak reactor, and (2) the preparation or modification of centrifuge cascades at the Fordow facility. The bill also prohibits the President from issuing a new waiver relating to such activities.</p>