New Bill Requires Congressional Green Light Before President Eases Iran Sanctions

This proposed legislation, the "Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2025," sets up a new process requiring the President to get Congress involved before making significant changes to sanctions against Iran. Essentially, if the President wants to lift or waive existing sanctions, or make a licensing decision that substantially shifts U.S. policy towards Iran, they first need to send a detailed report to key congressional committees.

How the Review Process Works

Under this bill, the President can't just decide to ease up on Iran sanctions unilaterally. Before taking action – like terminating sanctions, granting a waiver to a specific person or entity, or issuing a license that marks a big policy change – a report explaining the what and why must go to Congress. This report needs to spell out the proposed action, the justification, and critically, whether it represents a major change in U.S. foreign policy towards Iran. If it does, the report must detail that change and its potential impact on national security.

Once the report is submitted, Congress gets a specific window – typically 30 calendar days (extended to 60 days if submitted during the late summer recess) – to review the plan. During this period, the relevant House and Senate committees are expected to hold hearings and dig into the details. Importantly, the bill states the President cannot take the proposed action during this review period unless Congress explicitly approves it by passing a "joint resolution of approval."

Congress Gets a Say: Approval or Disapproval

The bill lays out specific procedures for Congress to vote on these proposed actions. If lawmakers agree with the President's plan, they can pass a joint resolution of approval, giving the green light. However, if they disagree, they can pass a "joint resolution of disapproval." If such a resolution is passed and withstands any potential presidential veto, the President is blocked from taking the proposed sanction-related action.

This effectively gives Congress a mechanism to prevent the executive branch from easing Iran sanctions without legislative buy-in. The bill does carve out an exception for routine licensing actions that don't significantly alter U.S. foreign policy – those wouldn't trigger this review process. It also includes provisions to protect confidential business information that might be included in the reports.