“A bill to promote human rights, internet freedom and accountability in Iran, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings regarding the Iranian regime's repression of its people, including violence against protesters (e.g., during the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests and reportedly killing tens of thousands in the 2026 protests), economic mismanagement, corruption, internet restrictions, and intimidation of dissidents. The section declares it to be the policy of the United States (1) to recognize the Iranian people's right to self-determination through free and fair elections, (2) to facilitate expanded unrestricted internet access and communication in Iran, (3) to support Iranian human rights and U.S. programs aiding Iranian civil society, (4) to enforce sanctions on regime human rights violators and their family members or associates, and (5) to coordinate with allies on measures to deter lethal violence against protesters.
This section designates the Secretary of State as the primary federal official responsible for (1) promoting widespread internet freedom in Iran and expanding access to information for Iranian citizens, (2) coordinating all federal efforts related to digital freedom initiatives in Iran, and (3) updating and implementing the comprehensive strategy required under Section 414 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (22 U.S.C. 8754). (As background, that strategy—originally due not later than 90 days after August 10, 2012—directs the Secretary of State to counter Iranian government censorship and support internet access, secure communications, digital training, surrogate broadcasting, and related activities for Iranian civil society.) This section amends Section 414 by (1) redesignating the original strategy requirements as subsection (a) ("Initial strategy"), (2) inserting three new elements after paragraph (10)—(11) evaluating virtual private networks and direct-to-cell satellite technologies used by Iranian civil society and human rights activists and developing strategies to increase their accessibility, (12) working with the Departments of the Treasury and Commerce to ensure sanctions enforcement does not impede companies providing Iranian civilians with open-internet tools, and (13) assessing the Iranian regime's ability to impose internet blackouts and developing circumvention strategies for civil society—(3) redesignating existing paragraphs (11) and (12) as paragraphs (14) and (15), and (4) adding subsection (b) requiring the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Treasury and Commerce and other agency heads as appropriate, to review and update the strategy on an ongoing basis. This section further requires the Secretary of State to submit the first updated strategy—not later than 120 days after enactment of this Act—to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, in unclassified form (with a possible classified annex).
This section requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and Department of the Treasury, to submit to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and House Committee on Foreign Affairs, within 120 days of enactment, a report updating and supplementing the strategy required under 22 U.S.C. 8754a (i.e., to enhance Iranian civil society's access to information amid government censorship and internet restrictions). The updated strategy assesses (1) feasibility of direct-to-cell wireless technologies for Iranian internet access, including technical, regulatory, and security factors; (2) impacts of drones, signal-jamming, and countermeasures on such technologies; and (3) Iran-based telecommunications providers' ownership, foreign investment, censorship implications, and risks for terrestrial/non-terrestrial communications. (The report is unclassified but may include a classified annex.) This section also authorizes not less than $20 million annually for the Iran Internet Freedom Grant Program for FY2027 through FY2030 (in addition to the previously authorized $15 million for FY2025 and FY2026). (The program provides grants and contracts to support Iranian civil society's internet access and circumvention of censorship.) This section further establishes a joint working group of the Departments of State and Defense, United States Agency for Global Media, and other agencies to develop low-cost, scalable technologies countering adversary-imposed internet shutdowns abroad (prioritizing low-earth orbit satellites, mesh networks, portable systems, VPNs, pilot programs, and off-the-shelf solutions). The group collaborates with the Federal Acquisition Institute on acquisition best practices and submits annual progress reports to specified congressional committees. Such sums as necessary are authorized for FY2027 through FY2030.
This section directs the President, within 120 days of a written request from the chair or ranking member of the appropriate congressional committees (i.e., the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Armed Services and Select Committee on Intelligence; and the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Armed Services and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence), to determine whether a foreign person knowingly provided material support for the Iranian regime’s human rights abuses, censorship, or repression—including (1) selling, supplying, or transferring censorship technology, surveillance tools, or internet shutdown capabilities; (2) conduct sanctionable under the Iranian Human Rights Abuses Sanctions Regulations (31 C.F.R. pt. 562); or (3) conduct sanctionable under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.)—and to submit a written justification detailing whether applicable sanctions were imposed.
This section requires the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, within 120 days of enactment, an unclassified strategy (with a possible classified annex) to expand U.S. and international broadcasting efforts—such as Voice of America Persian Service and Radio Farda—and programs supporting human rights and civil society in Iran. The strategy must include (A) a review of current U.S. broadcasting and human rights efforts, including their reach, effectiveness, and vulnerabilities to censorship; (B) plans to provide Iranians reliable access to uncensored news via satellite, digital tools, shortwave radio, and emerging technologies; (C) support for independent Iranian journalists and media via grants, training, and secure platforms; (D) civil society training programs; (E) coordination with international partners, private sector, and diaspora; (F) annual performance metrics; and (G) a multi-year budget plan. This section also requires the Comptroller General, within 180 days of enactment, to submit an unclassified report (with a possible classified annex) to the appropriate congressional committees examining Near East Regional Democracy (NERD) account expenditures for FY2024 and FY2025, including accounting of Iran-related programs (e.g., broadcasting and human rights), assessments of grant processes, program effectiveness, and recommendations for improvements. The appropriate congressional committees are specified as the Senate and House Committees on Foreign Relations/Affairs, Armed Services, Intelligence, and Appropriations.
This section directs the Secretary of State, not later than 180 days after enactment, to establish programs (1) to deliver remote or in-person cybersecurity training to journalists, defenders of internationally recognized human rights, and civil-society actors in Iran; (2) to furnish vetted open-source or commercially available digital-safety tools, including VPN services and end-to-end encrypted messaging applications; and (3) to provide multilingual educational materials that warn Iranian users about regime-controlled applications and phishing campaigns. (As background, these activities build on existing requirements under 22 U.S.C. 8754 for a strategy to promote internet freedom in Iran, including counter-censorship technologies and digital safety training for civil society.) The section further requires the Secretary to provide quarterly metrics on trainees, incident-response cases, and unique tool users to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and House Committee on Foreign Affairs; directs the Comptroller General to evaluate program effectiveness within three years and report to appropriate congressional committees; includes a savings clause preserving authorities under 22 U.S.C. 8754 and related laws; and authorizes appropriations of such sums as necessary for FY2027 through FY2030.