Congress names 18 Iranian officials for terrorism designation over religious speech.

What it does

This bill directs the President to determine within 180 days whether 18 named Iranian officials, clerics, and state institutions should be designated as specially designated global terrorists based on their role in issuing or amplifying fatwas (religious rulings) calling for violence against U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. If designated, the bill imposes sanctions including asset freezes, visa revocations, and entry bans on these individuals and entities.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a presidential authority to designate foreign persons as terrorists and impose sanctions (asset freezes, visa revocations) based on their role in issuing or amplifying fatwas advocating violence. This is a standard national-security tool, though applied here to religious speech and clerical institutions rather than armed groups.

What the text implies

• The bill names 18 specific individuals and institutions without a formal hearing or evidentiary process, effectively pre-judging the President's 180-day determination and creating political pressure to designate them regardless of legal criteria.
• By targeting the Qom Seminary, Assembly of Experts, and other state-linked clerical institutions, the bill may effectively sanction Iran's entire religious-scholarly establishment, not just individuals who incited violence, potentially chilling legitimate religious discourse.
• The bill does not define what constitutes 'incitement' under Islamic law or establish a standard for distinguishing between theological interpretation, political rhetoric, and actionable incitement to violence—leaving the President to make that judgment unilaterally.
• Sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and clerical councils may restrict information flows and diplomatic communication channels, potentially escalating tensions rather than deterring violence.
• The 30-day termination clause (sanctions end when Iran ceases state support for terrorism) creates an indefinite sanctions regime tied to a subjective State Department determination with no sunset date or congressional review mechanism.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill addresses a genuine national security concern—foreign incitement to violence against U.S. leadership—through established sanctions mechanisms that protect citizens from foreign threats. However, the bill's operative mechanism (a presidential determination based on religious speech and theological interpretation) raises transparency and due-process concerns: the criteria for what constitutes 'incitement' under Islamic jurisprudence are not defined in U.S. law, and the bill conflates reli

Named in the bill

Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani, Ayatollah Hossein Mazaheri, Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani, Alireza Panahian, Ayatollah Abbas Kaabi, Abdolmajid Kharghani, Ahmad Khatami, Mohsen Araki, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, Qom Seminary (Howzeh Elmieh Qom), Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) — and 8 more

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrats.

• Nov 20, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Nov 20, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial…”
• Dec 3, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Dec 3, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 47 - 0”
• Jun 8, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3954-3955)”
• Jun 8, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Mast moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $2,314,900 in lobbying spend. A filing names 66 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Keith Self, the sponsor, reported $185,131 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Israel Public Affairs Committee — $1,784,900 on 2 filings
• Fdd Action — $530,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.