WASHINGTON, D.C. – FDD Action today applauded the reintroduction of the Maximum Pressure Act, which codifies comprehensive sanctions that target the regime’s revenue streams and hold its leaders accountable. The legislation signals Congress’s commitment to maintaining pressure on the regime in Iran until it verifiably dismantles its enrichment infrastructure and fully denuclearizes.
“The reintroduction of the Maximum Pressure Act is a decisive step toward ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon or a nuclear weapons capability. FDD Action is proud to support this legislation,” said Nick Stewart, FDD Action’s Senior Director of Government Relations. “By codifying the Trump administration’s proven policy of maximum pressure, this legislation delivers the toughest sanctions ever proposed by Congress to cripple the regime’s ability to terrorize its people and the region. The objective of maximum pressure is clear: complete denuclearization and the permanent, verifiable elimination of Iran’s unconventional weapons threat, along with the full range of its other destructive activities. Until then, unrelenting, comprehensive pressure is the only responsible path forward.”
The Maximum Pressure Act is being led by Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA), who chairs the Republican Study Committee (RSC) Task Force on National Security. The measure imposes significant sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran and codifies President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-2 (NSPM), which reimposed maximum pressure on the regime earlier this year.
In addition to the Maximum Pressure Act, members of Congress also introduced or announced plans to introduce several additional measures to target the regime and strengthen U.S. national security, which FDD Action supports. These include:
• A Bill to Provide for the Rescission of Certain Waivers and Licenses Relating to Iran (Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX)): Prohibits the President from exercising select waiver and license authorities for Iran, in addition to terminating certain presidential waivers and Treasury Department licenses.
• No Iranian Energy Act (Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX)): Imposes sanctions on the importation of liquefied natural gas from Iran by the government of Iraq.
• Iranian Terror Prevention Act (Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL)): Designates specific organizations, including but not limited to the Houthis, the Badr Organization, and Iraqi militia Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, as foreign terrorist organizations.
• No Sanctions Relief for Terrorists Act (Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI)): Requires the President to certify that foreign persons have ceased their involvement in terrorism before licenses or other waivers from sanctions on Iran can be issued.
• No Hezbollah In Our Hemisphere Act (Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)): Addresses the permissive environment for Hezbollah in the region through a comprehensive assessment of Latin American countries to determine whether they meet the criteria of a terrorist sanctuary under U.S. law.
• Free Iraq from Iran Act (Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)): Supports Iraq’s independence from Iran by designating key Iran-backed groups and agents in Iraq and prohibiting U.S. funds to Iran-backed militias.
• The Maximum Support Act (Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)): Ensures maximum support for the Iranian people through several actions, including sanctioning human rights abusers, confiscating assets from the Iranian government, and devising a strategy to promote internet freedom and counter censorship efforts in Iran.
• House Resolution 139 (Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY)): Calls on the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to initiate the snapback of sanctions on Iran under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
• Stop Corrupt Iranian Oligarchs and Entities Act (Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN)): Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to Congress on Iranian oligarchs and parastatal entities, their relationship with the Iranian government, their role in the Iranian economy, and their involvement in corruption.
About FDD Action
FDD Action is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing policies that strengthen U.S. national security and defend free nations. Founded in 2019, FDD Action combines expert policy analysis with direct advocacy to drive effective solutions to the most pressing security challenges facing the United States and its allies.