An Iranian flag is pictured near a missile, during an Iranian military drill, Oct 19, 2020. Photo: WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) on Wednesday approved a bipartisan bill to indefinitely sanction Iran’s missile and drone programs before United Nations sanctions expire in October.

Introduced by HFAC Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), and Reps. Joe Wilson (R-TX) and Dean Phillips (D-MN) and co-sponsored by 149 other members of the House, the “Fight and Combat Rampant Iranian Missile Exports Act” or “Fight CRIME Act” would impose sanctions on any individual engaged in the development, sale, transfer, or acquisition of Iranian missiles and drones.

“Iran is a pariah state that brutalizes its citizens and threatens the global balance of power with their nuclear ambitions and illicit arms trade,” McCaul said. “This bipartisan legislation makes clear that the United States and its allies and partners will hold those enabling Iran’s missile and drone proliferation accountable regardless of whether the UN restrictions remain in effect. This bill is essential to our efforts to combat the proliferation of Iranian missiles and drones.”

McCaul also cited the growing ties between Iran and Russia, which has extensively used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine, as well as Iran’s proliferation of drones to its proxies like the Houthis in Yemen.

While Iran’s missile and drone programs are currently subject to a UN sanctions regime, under Security Council resolution 2231, which formally endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, those provisions are set to expire in October. At Wednesday’s hearing, Meeks thanked the European Union for its decision to also maintain sanctions in light of deadlock at the Security Council. Reuters reported in June that EU diplomats had informed Iran that they would retain sanctions after the UN expiry because of Iran’s support for Russia in Ukraine and for Iran’s violations of the terms of the nuclear deal.

“Russia and China’s presence on the Security Council has made it impossible to negotiate an extension of these multilateral sanctions.” Meeks said. “In October, when the UN regulations expire, Iran would be free in the eyes of the UN to develop nuclear weapons delivery systems, including ICBMs that could reach the United States homeland….That is why along with allies, we must act. And I applaud the European Union for telling Iran that they plan to retain their own EU ballistic missile sanctions set to expire in October. Today, we want to send Iran the message that the United States intends to do the same.”

At press time, the bill had passed a voice vote to be passed out of committee and recommended to the floor of the House, but a committee roll call vote to record the yeas and nays on the bill was postponed.

The committee also postponed the vote on a separate Republican-backed measure that would require Congress review any sanctions on Iran removed or waived by the President. Democratic Ranking Member Meeks said he opposed the measure because it would hinder the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.