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 4851.
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 unless the Secretary of State makes a determination in writing to certain congressional committees that such programs and projects are consistent with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals and will not provide Iran with training or expertise relevant to nuclear programs' development. Instructs the Secretary to review and report to the Congress annually for five years 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 Agency programs determined inconsistent with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and safety goals. 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 the Technical Cooperation and Assistance Fund are compatible with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy and international nuclear nonproliferation norms.
This bill blocks U.S. voluntary funding to International Atomic Energy Agency programs in Iran unless the Secretary of State certifies they align with U.S. nuclear nonproliferation goals and won't transfer nuclear training or expertise to Iran. It requires annual reports to Congress for five years on IAEA programs in Iran and other countries, and directs the U.S. representative to the IAEA to oppose programs deemed inconsistent with nonproliferation policy.
The bill embeds Israel security concerns in its nonproliferation rationale: the stored legislative findings explicitly cite Iran's calls for Israel's destruction, support for groups attacking Israel, and ballistic missiles reaching Israeli targets as justification for withholding IAEA funds. This makes Iran nuclear oversight tied directly to Israel's regional threat assessment rather than treated as a standalone proliferation issue.