Congress: 119 · 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 2012.
Sponsor: Self, Keith (R-Texas)
Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2025 This bill restricts the President's authority to unilaterally undertake certain actions with respect to Iran and increases congressional oversight of those actions. Specifically, the President must report to Congress before terminating or waiving sanctions related to Iran or taking a licensing action that significantly alters U.S. foreign policy with respect to Iran. Each report must (1) describe the proposed action and its rationale, and (2) indicate whether or not the action is intended to significantly alter foreign policy concerning Iran. If the intention is to alter that policy, the report must provide additional information including the policy objectives for which the affected sanctions were initially imposed and the anticipated effects of the action on U.S. national security interests. After the President submits a report, the bill provides Congress with a 30-day period to review it; this period is extended to 60 days for reports submitted between July 10 and September 7. During this period, Congress may enact a joint resolution approving or disapproving the action. During the review period, the President may not take the action unless Congress passes a joint resolution of approval; if Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval, the bill prohibits the President from taking the action. The bill also outlines procedures for the introduction and consideration of these types of joint resolutions.
This bill requires the President to notify Congress before lifting or waiving Iran sanctions or taking licensing actions that significantly shift U.S. policy toward Iran. Congress then has 30 days (60 days during mid-summer) to vote on a joint resolution approving or disapproving the action. The President cannot proceed without congressional approval during this window, and must stop if Congress votes to disapprove.
This transfers power over Iran sanctions from the executive branch to Congress, making it harder for any president to rejoin or relax sanctions from the Iran nuclear agreement or similar deals without legislative sign-off. The outcome depends on which party controls Congress and how members vote on future Iran diplomacy.