H.R. 4427 — Syria Sanctions Accountability Act of 2025

This section directs the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to brief the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, not later than 360 days after enactment, on (1) the impact of exceptive relief (i.e., exemption from special measures for primary money laundering concerns) provided to the Commercial Bank of Syria on May 23, 2025—including an assessment of whether it advanced U.S. national security or foreign policy objectives—and (2) a recommendation on whether to continue that relief or revise related findings.

This section directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. executive directors at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to use the U.S. voice and vote to support (1) restoration of sound data reporting and regular economic monitoring in Syria, (2) technical assistance for the Syrian government to improve financial connectivity and strengthen anti-money laundering, weapons non-proliferation, and anti-corruption measures consistent with international standards, and (3) a strategy to address economic growth priorities in Syria. It further requires the Secretary to brief the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on these activities within 180 days of enactment and one year thereafter. The section sunsets two years after enactment.

This section directs the Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, within 180 days of enactment, to determine whether any country limitation applicable to the Bank with respect to Syria is appropriate and to brief the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on that determination.

This section revises waiver criteria, waiver authorities, and the sunset provision of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (i.e., the Caesar Act), which authorizes sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act against foreign persons who provide material support to the Government of Syria or engage in specified transactions with it. Specifically, the section— (1) in section 7431(a), which lists conditions for the President to waive Caesar Act sanctions applicable to the Government of Syria— (A) strikes the requirement that such waivers be issued for renewable periods not to exceed 180 days; (B) replaces paragraphs (1) through (4) with new criteria requiring that (1) Syrian air space is not used by the Government of Syria to target civilians using incendiary devices (including barrel bombs), chemical weapons, or conventional arms (including air-delivered missiles and explosives); (2) Government of Syria-controlled areas have regular access to humanitarian assistance, freedom of travel, and medical care; (3) the Government of Syria is releasing all political prisoners held in Bashar al-Assad regime prisons and allowing full access for investigations by international human rights organizations; and (4) Government of Syria forces have ceased deliberately targeting medical facilities, schools, residential areas, and markets in violation of international norms; (C) adds paragraphs (8) requiring verifiable Government of Syria steps to combat illicit Captagon production and international proliferation, and (9) prohibiting Government of Syria targeting or extrajudicial detention of religious minorities; (2) in section 7432, which authorizes waivers for foreign persons and certain transactions— (A) removes 180-day renewable limits from subsection (b)(1) waivers and "with respect to a foreign person" language; (B) strikes semiannual reporting requirements tied to waiver renewals from subsections (b)(2) and (c)(2); and (C) removes two-year renewable limits from subsection (c)(1) waivers; and (3) revises section 7438 to sunset the Caesar Act on the earlier of (A) 30 days after the President reports to Congress that the Government of Syria has met section 7431(a) criteria (1) through (8) for two consecutive years, or (B) December 31, 2029.