IRAN OIL SANCTIONS ACT OF 1995 (Senate - December 18, 1995)

[Page: S18828]

Mr. MACK. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar No. 280, S. 1228.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the bill by title.

The bill clerk read as follows:

A bill (S. 1228) to impose sanctions on foreign persons exporting petroleum products, natural gas, or related technology to Iran, which had been reported from the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Iran Oil Sanctions Act of 1995'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:

(1) The efforts of the Government of Iran to acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them and its support of international terrorism endanger the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and those countries with which it shares common strategic and foreign policy objectives.

(2) The objective of preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism through existing multilateral and bilateral initiatives requires additional efforts to deny Iran the financial means to sustain its nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile weapons programs.

SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF POLICY.
The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States to deny Iran the ability to support international terrorism and to fund the development and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them by limiting the development of petroleum resources in Iran.

SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.
(a) In General: Except as provided in subsection (d), the President shall impose one or more of the sanctions described in section 5 on a person subject to this section (in this Act referred to as a `sanctioned person'), if the President determines that the person has, with actual knowledge, on or after the date of enactment of this Act, made an investment of more than $40,000,000 (or any combination of investments of at least $10,000,000 each, which in the aggregate exceeds $40,000,000 in any 12-month period), that significantly and materially contributed to the development of petroleum resources in Iran.
(b) Persons Against Which the Sanctions Are To Be Imposed: The sanctions described in subsection (a) shall be imposed on any person the President determines--

(1) has carried out the activities described in subsection (a);

(2) is a successor entity to that person;

(3) is a person that is a parent or subsidiary of that person if that parent or subsidiary with actual knowledge engaged in the activities which were the basis of that determination; and

(4) is a person that is an affiliate of that person if that affiliate with actual knowledge engaged in the activities which were the basis of that determination and if that affiliate is controlled in fact by that person.
(c) Publication in Federal Register: The President shall cause to be published in the Federal Register a current list of persons that are subject to sanctions under subsection (a). The President shall remove or add the names of persons to the list published under this subsection as may be necessary.
(d) Exceptions: The President shall not be required to apply or maintain the sanctions under subsection (a)--

(1) to products or services provided under contracts entered into before the date on which the President publishes his intention to impose the sanction; or

(2) to medicines, medical supplies, or other humanitarian items.

SEC. 5. DESCRIPTION OF SANCTIONS.
The sanctions to be imposed on a person under section 4(a) are as follows:

(1) Export-import bank assistance for exports to sanctioned persons: The President may direct the Export-Import Bank of the United States not to guarantee, insure, extend credit, or participate in the extension of credit in connection with the export of any goods or services to any sanctioned person.

(2) Export sanction: The President may order the United States Government not to issue any specific license and not to grant any other specific permission or authority to export any goods or technology to a sanctioned person under--

(A) the Export Administration Act of 1979;

(B) the Arms Export Control Act;

(D) any other statute that requires the prior review and approval of the United States Government as a condition for the exportation of goods and services, or their re-export, to any person designated by the President under section 4(a).

(3) Loans from united states financial institutions: The United States Government may prohibit any United States financial institution from making any loan or providing any credit to any sanctioned person in an amount exceeding $10,000,000 in any 12-month period (or two or more loans of more than $5,000,000 each in such period) unless such person is engaged in activities to relieve human suffering within the meaning of section 203(b)(2) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

(4) Prohibitions on financial institutions: The following prohibitions may be imposed against financial institutions sanctioned under section 4(a):

(A) Designation as primary dealer: Neither the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System nor the Federal Reserve Bank of New York may designate, or permit the continuation of any prior designation of, such financial institution as a primary dealer in United States Government debt instruments.

(B) Government funds: Such financial institution shall not serve as agent of the United States Government or serve as repository for United States Government funds.

SEC. 6. ADVISORY OPINIONS.
The Secretary of State may, upon the request of any person, issue an advisory opinion, to that person as to whether a proposed activity by that person would subject that person to sanctions under this Act. Any person who relies in good faith on such an advisory opinion which states that the proposed activity would not subject a person to such sanctions, and any person who thereafter engages in such activity, may not be made subject to such sanctions on account of such activity.

SEC. 7. DURATION OF SANCTIONS; PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER.
(a) Delay of Sanctions:

(1) Consultations: If the President makes a determination described in section 4(a) with respect to a foreign person, the Congress urges the President to initiate consultations immediately with the government with primary jurisdiction over that foreign person with respect to the imposition of sanctions pursuant to this Act.

(2) Actions by government of jurisdiction: In order to pursue such consultations with that government, the President may delay imposition of sanctions pursuant to this Act for up to 90 days. Following such consultations, the President shall immediately impose a sanction or sanctions unless the President determines and certifies to the Congress that the government has taken specific and effective actions, including, as appropriate, the imposition of appropriate penalties, to terminate the involvement of the foreign person in the activities that resulted in the determination by the President pursuant to section 4(a) concerning such person.

(3) Additional delay in imposition of sanctions: The President may delay the imposition of sanctions for up to an additional 90 days if the President determines and certifies to the Congress that the government with primary jurisdiction over the foreign person is in the process of taking the actions described in paragraph (2).

(4) Report to congress: Not later than 90 days after making a determination under section 4(a), the President shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives a report which shall include information on the status of consultations with the appropriate foreign government under this subsection, and the basis for any determination under paragraph (3).
(b) Duration of Sanctions: The requirement to impose sanctions pursuant to section 4(a) shall remain in effect until the President determines that the sanctioned person is no longer engaging in the activity that led to the imposition of sanctions.
(c) Presidential Waiver: (1) The President may waive the requirement in section 4(a) to impose a sanction or sanctions on a person in section 4(b), and may waive the continued imposition of a sanction or sanctions under subsection (b) of this section, 15 days after the President determines and so reports to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives that it is important to the national interest of the United States to exercise such waiver authority.
(2) Any such report shall provide a specific and detailed rationale for such determination, including--

(A) a description of the conduct that resulted in the determination;

(B) in the case of a foreign person, an explanation of the efforts to secure the cooperation of the government with primary jurisdiction of the sanctioned person to terminate or, as appropriate, penalize the activities that resulted in the determination;

(D) a statement as to the response of the United States in the event that such person engages in other activities that would be subject to section 4(a).

SEC. 8. TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.
The sanctions requirement of section 4 shall no longer have force or effect if the President determines and certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that Iran--

(1) has ceased its efforts to design, develop, manufacture, or acquire--

(A) a nuclear explosive device or related materials and technology;

(B) chemical and biological weapons; or

(2) has been removed from the list of state sponsors of international terrorism under section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979.

SEC. 9. REPORT REQUIRED.
The President shall ensure the continued transmittal to Congress of reports describing--

(1) the nuclear and other military capabilities of Iran, as required by section 601(a) of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 and section 1607 of the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1993; and

(2) the support provided by Iran for acts of international terrorism, as part of the Department of State's annual report on international terrorism.

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SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:

(1) Appropriate congressional committees: The term `appropriate congressional committees' means the Committees on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committees on Banking and Financial Services and International Relations of the House of Representatives.

(2) Financial institution: The term `financial institution' includes--

(A) a depository institution (as defined in section 3(c)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act), including a branch or agency of a foreign bank (as defined in section 1(b)(7) of the International Banking Act of 1978);

(B) a credit union;

(D) an insurance company, including an agency or underwriter;

(E) any other company that provides financial services; or

(F) any subsidiary of such financial institution.

(3) Investment: The term `investment' means--

(A) the entry into a contract that includes responsibility for the development of petroleum resources located in Iran, or the entry into a contract providing for the general supervision and guarantee of another person's performance of such a contract;

(B) the purchase of a share of ownership in that development; or

(C) the entry into a contract providing for participation in royalties, earnings, or profits in that development, without regard to the form of the participation.

(4) Person: The term `person' means a natural person as well as a corporation, business association, partnership, society, trust, any other nongovernmental entity, organization, or group, and any governmental entity operating as a business enterprise, and any successor of any such entity.

(5) Petroleum resources: The term `petroleum resources' includes petroleum and natural gas resources.

Mr. D'AMATO. Madam President, I rise today to comment on the passage of S. 1228, the Iran Oil Sanctions Act of 1995.

Now, we have a bill with teeth, that will say to those companies that provide investment in Iran's oil and natural gas sectors, `you can trade with us, or trade with them.' And more importantly the bill is extraterritorial. This precedent is important because now for the first time, we will be establishing the concept that the economic development of the Iranian regime is a threat to our national security. As I have said many times, this point is vital to understanding the fact that Iran uses its hard currency to fund its aggression. This, in fact, is the primary goal, namely to deprive Iran of the hard currency needed to obtain weapons of mass destruction and to fund its vast terrorist network.

The administration has indicated that it will support this version of the bill and that the President will sign it.

For far too long the United States had been subsidizing Iranian terrorism through our trade with Iran. Following our lead, President Clinton issued an Executive order on May 6, 1995, banning all trade with Iran. Now, the United States no longer is doing business with Iran. Unfortunately, the other nations of the world have failed to join us in this embargo. While Iran is racing to obtain weapons of mass destruction, many other countries of the world are subsidizing them through their development of the Iranian oil fields. This kind of business gives Iran hard currency to fund terrorism and its quest for nuclear weapons.

Undersecretary of State Peter Tarnoff said it best, when at a hearing before this committee he stated:

A straight line links Iran's oil income and its ability to sponsor terrorism, build weapons of mass destruction, and acquire sophisticated armaments. Any government or private company that helps Iran to expand its oil [production] must accept that it is . . . contributing to this menace.

This cannot continue and this is why I and my colleagues introduced S. 1228, which now has 43 cosponsors. I thank them for their support for this important bill.

We can wait no longer. We must put real teeth in our policy of economically isolating and undermining a regime which has embarked on policies of terrorism and aggression that impose a clear and present danger to the vital security interests of our own Nation.

Without such a policy there is no doubt that Iran will continue to get the benefit of doing business with companies that put their own desire for profits ahead of the interests of the international community in preventing Iran from joining the nuclear weapons club and continuing its vast support for terrorist groups. With such a policy, there would be a real chance of convincing Iran that its attempt to acquire weapons of mass destruction and its promotion of international terrorism is entirely counterproductive.

If foreign companies are to understand that they are subsidizing Iranian terrorism they should heed the words of Secretary of State Warren Christopher's statement before the U.N. General Assembly on October 25, 1995, when he stated:

Every dollar that goes into the coffers of a state sponsor of terrorism makes its secret quest for weapons of mass destruction even more alarming. We must stand together to prevent Iran from acquiring such threatening capabilities.

No one could have said it better. I hope that our friends overseas understand this as well, but if they fail to do so, this bill will serve as a reminder.

Mr. SARBANES. Madam President, I rise in support of S. 1228, the Iran Oil Sanctions Act of 1995. This bill would put sanctions on foreign companies that invest in Iran and thereby help that country develop its oil and gas resources. The increased revenue from such enhanced oil production augments Iran's ability to fund its development of nuclear weapons and its support for international terrorism.

Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, American administrations with bipartisan congressional support have used economic sanctions to hinder Iran's support for international terrorism and to make it harder for that country to get materials and revenues to strengthen its nuclear and conventional weapons programs.

Earlier this year, just prior to the Banking Committee's March 16 hearing on our country's economic relations with Iran, the committee learned that then existing restrictions on such relations did not prohibit the Conoco Co. from signing a contract with Iran to develop a huge offshore oil field in the Persian Gulf. The Clinton administration immediately announced that while Conoco's actions were not illegal, they were `inconsistent with our policy of brining pressure on Iran, both politically and economically to change its unacceptable behavior.' The President then on March 15 issued an Executive order prohibiting United States persons from entering into contracts for the financing or the overall supervision and management of the petroleum resources of Iran.

On May 8, President Clinton issued another Executive order that imposed significant new economic sanctions on Iran, including a prohibition on trading in goods or services of Iranian origin, a ban on exports to Iran, and a ban on new investment or bank loans to Iran. The new prohibitions applied to U.S. persons, wherever they may be, including the foreign branches of U.S. entities.

The Clinton administration also urged other countries to support United States efforts to pressure Iran economically and persuaded our G7 allies to avoid any collaboration with Iran that might help that country develop a nuclear weapons capability. A number of foreign corporations, however, are supporting Iran's efforts to increase its oil and gas production. S. 1228 seeks to persuade such companies from assisting Iran as the latter uses its oil and gas revenues to fund behavior harmful to the international community.

At the Banking Committee's October 11 hearing on S. 1228, Under Secretary of State Tarnoff told the committee that `a straight line links Iran's oil income and its ability to sponsor terrorism, build weapons of mass destruction, and acquire sophisticated armaments.' He also told us that the administration was making great efforts to persuade other nations to cooperate with our embargo of Iran. He expressed concerns, however, that we not enact legislation that would make it more difficult to get that cooperation. Chairman D'Amato assured Under Secretary Tarnoff that he wanted to work with the administration in crafting legislation that would persuade foreign companies to cooperate with our embargo of Iran.

Prior to the December 12 committee markup of S. 1228, Chairman D'Amato, Senator Boxer, myself, and other members of the committee worked with the administration to develop a bill the administration could endorse. Agreement was reached and on December 12, the committee adopted a substitute version of S. 1228 that President Clinton supports.

It does not target trade but rather new investment contracts that enhance Iran's ability to produce oil and gas. The bill also provides the President the necessary flexibility to determine the best mix of sanctions in a particular case, and to waive the imposition--or continued imposition--of sanctions when he determines it is important to the national interest to do so. In using these authorities, the President is directed to consider factors such as the significance of an investment, the prospects for cooperation with other governments, U.S. international commitments, and the effect of sanctions on U.S. economic interests and regional policies. Finally, S. 1228 authorizes the Secretary of State to provide advisory opinions on whether a proposed activity would be covered to avoid unnecessary uncertainty on the part of companies and friction with allies.

This bill was reported out of committee by a vote of 15-0. It is a bill I support because it will make it more difficult for Iran to fund its efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction and its support for international terrorism. I urge its enactment.

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Mr. MACK. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment be agreed to, the bill be deemed read the third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be placed at the appropriate place in the Record.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

So the committee amendment was agreed to.

So the bill (S. 1228), as amended, was deemed read the third time, and passed.

The title was amended so as to read: `A bill to deter investment in the development of Iran's petroleum resources.'

END