US House Passes Bill on Iranian Officials’ Assets

TEHRAN (defapress) – The US House of Representatives passed a bill obliging the Treasury Department to publish a report chronicling the financial assets of Iran’s top officials.

News ID: 67494

Date: 14 December 2017 - 15:48

The legislation, which passed 289-135 on Wednesday, must still clear the Senate before US President Donald Trump can sign it into law, The Washington Examiner reported.

Upon introducing the legislation, Bruce Poliquin, a Republican congressman from Maine, accused Iran’s top officials of amassing wealth through a covert structure.

It is the second time Poliquin’s bill has cleared the House, passing in 2016 despite a veto threat from then-President Barack Obama. It received 280 votes at the time, with just 42 Democrats supporting. On Wednesday, in the absence of an incumbent White House’s opposition, the legislation gained 56 Democratic votes.

Obama’s influence was still felt by some members of the Democratic conference. Maxine Waters, Democratic representative from California, invoked a veto threat to criticize the legislation. She quoted the Obama team’s complaint that the legislation might undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

“The bill would be a strategic mistake, as its report would undoubtedly be seized upon by Iran as an intentional effort to discourage international investment by Iran, which would be viewed by Iran -and likely by the major world powers who joined us in the JCPOA as well- as a violation of the express US commitment under the nuclear deal not to interfere with the full realization of the relief provided to Iran under the accord,” she noted.

Under the bill, the Treasury Department’s report will have to be published in Iran's three main languages.