No Impunity for Iranian Aggression at Sea Act of 2016

No Impunity for Iranian Aggression at Sea Act of 2016

This bill requires the President to submit a report that includes:

• a determination of whether, during the June 2016 incident when Iranian forces boarded two U.S. Navy combat vessels and detained the crews at gunpoint, any of the Iranian actions violated the Geneva Convention or the international right to conduct innocent passage; and
• a certification of whether or not federal funds were paid to Iran to effect the release of the detained crew members or other U.S. citizens.

The bill prescribes specified Iranian actions that the President shall consider, including: (1) the stopping, boarding, search, and seizure of the U.S. Navy vessels and the removal and detention of the crews; and (2) the display, videotaping, or photographing of U.S. service members and the subsequent use of those photographs or videos.

The President shall: (1) upon a determination that such a violation occurred, submit and make public a list of Iranian government officials or persons acting on behalf of the Iranian government who are responsible for or complicit in any such violation; and (2) prohibit U.S. entry or admission and block property transactions of listed persons.