Moran’s IDEA Act Included in Iran Sanctions Bill

Photo by John Arundel.

Washington, DC. – The House of Representatives approved the conference agreement for H.R. 2194, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act.
 
This package of U.S. sanctions on Iran will be sent to President Barack Obama for his signature.
 
A key component of the bill, authored by Congressman Jim Moran, will facilitate communications among the Iranian people.
 
Section 103 of the bill, which draws heavily from Rep. Moran’s IDEA Act (H.R. 4301), amends current law to lift the ban on the export of internet communication software to Iran.
 
The provision will allow Iranians to access e-mail, instant messaging, social networking and other American run web-services widely used by the democracy movement to organize and promote their message.
 
“Congress is sending a strong message to the Iranian government and to the world: we will not sit idly by while Iran’s rulers brutally clamp down on the Iranian people and push a reckless campaign for nuclear weapons.” said Moran.
 
“Providing the democracy movement with access to the latest social media organizing tools will strengthen their efforts to bring about positive change to a government that fears information it can’t control.”
 
There are several constructive components to the conference agreement.
 
These include targeting leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with specific economic sanctions, imposing travel restrictions on Iranian human rights abusers and a ban on companies selling computer technology to the Iranian Government used for repression.
 
Further provisions lift sanctions on U.S. companies that provide internet communications software to the Iranian people, a key component of the IDEA Act and consistent with President Obama’s directive in December.
 
“It’s critical to both the efficacy of the sanctions package and to our larger national security interests that we redouble our diplomatic, smart power approach to Iran. Sanctions alone will not be enough to bring about a peaceful solution to the nuclear impasse,” said Rep. Moran.