Congress: 105 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for HR 3743.
Sponsor: Menendez, Robert (D-NJ)
Iran Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act of 1998 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to withhold U.S. voluntary contributions from programs and projects of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Iran. Instructs the Secretary of State to review and report annually to the Congress on all Agency programs and projects in specified countries to determine if they are consistent with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals. Requires the Secretary to direct the U.S. representative to the Agency to oppose: (1) Agency programs determined inconsistent with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals; (2) technical assistance programs or projects designed to develop or complete the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran; and (3) any other Agency program or project which transfers nuclear materials or technology to Iran. Directs the Secretary to report annually to the Congress for five years on specified aspects of annual Agency assistance to Iran, including nuclear materials technology transfer, and inconsistencies between Agency technical assistance programs and U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should pursue internal Agency reforms that will ensure that all programs funded under its technical cooperation program are compatible with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy.
This bill blocks U.S. funding to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) programs in Iran, particularly technical assistance for Iran's Busheur nuclear power plant. It requires the State Department to annually review IAEA projects in Iran and direct the U.S. representative to oppose any IAEA programs transferring nuclear materials or technology to Iran, reporting back to Congress for five years on whether these projects align with U.S. nonproliferation goals.
The bill's findings explicitly cite Iran's calls for Israel's destruction and support for groups designated as terrorist organizations as context for blocking nuclear assistance to Iran. By embedding Israel's security as a core justification for nonproliferation restrictions, the bill ties U.S. Iran nuclear policy directly to Israeli security concerns, making this more than technical nonproliferation legislation.