March 31, 2025
Mr. Keating (for himself and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
To require the development of strategies and options to prevent the export to Iran of certain technologies related to unmanned aircraft systems, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Block the Use of Transatlantic Technology in Iranian Made Drones Act
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The Iranian regime has provided financial and material support, including the provision of unmanned aircraft systems, to United States adversaries, including terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Russian Federation as a part of its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
(2)
In 2022, the United States established an interagency task force to investigate how United States and Western-made technology has been incorporated into unmanned aircraft systems produced by Iran and take appropriate steps in response.
(3)
On June 9, 2023, the Department of State, the Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of the Treasury issued a joint advisory to alert persons and businesses globally to the threat of Iran’s unmanned aircraft systems and the need to take appropriate steps to avoid or prevent any activities that would support the further development of Iran’s unmanned aircraft program.
(4)
In recent years the United States enacted sanctions targeting—
(A)
the unmanned aircraft industry and missile industry of Iran;
(B)
entities, individuals, and vessels that played a central role in facilitating and financing the clandestine sale of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles; and
(C)
entities associated with the Iranian defense ministry’s procurement of critical components for missiles and drones.
Sec. 3. Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)
controlling the end use of dual use technology and highly ubiquitous parts thereof in the global market is difficult for manufacturers and government regulators alike;
(2)
Iranian-made unmanned aircraft systems play a key role in the Russian Federation’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, including attacks on civilian population centers and critical infrastructure such as power plants and ports; and
(3)
the United States, along with the allies and partners of the United States, must ensure that technology designed or produced by United States or using certain United States software, technology, or production equipment, is not used to support the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine or used by Hamas to attack Israel, particularly in the case of unmanned aircraft systems produced by Iran.
Sec. 4. Strategies to prevent export to Iran of certain technologies related to unmanned aircraft systems
(a) Department of commerce strategy
(1) Strategy required
The Secretary of Commerce (in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence) shall develop a strategy to prevent the illegal export to Iran by United States persons regarding technologies used or that may be used in the design, development, production, or operational employment of unmanned aircraft systems by Iran, including the following microelectronics:
(A)
Microcontrollers.
(B)
Voltage regulators.
(C)
Digital signal controllers.
(D)
GPS modules.
(E)
Microprocessors.
(2) Elements
The strategy under paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
(A)
A process for the Secretary of Commerce (in coordination with the Secretaries and heads specified in paragraph (1)) to proactively identify—
(i)
current and emerging technologies used or that may be used by Iran in the design, development, production, or operational employment of unmanned aircraft systems (including critical components thereof);
(ii)
United States manufacturers of such technologies; and
(iii)
foreign manufacturers and proliferators of such technologies.
(B)
A process for the Secretary of Commerce (in coordination with the Secretaries and heads specified in paragraph (1)) to proactively identify third-party distributors and resellers of the technologies specified in subparagraph (A)(i) that, through the use of intermediaries with no or nominal operations or assets, or through other mechanisms, contrive to circumvent export controls for such items with respect to Iran.
(C)
A methodology for the Secretary of Commerce to proactively engage the United States manufacturers identified pursuant to the process under subparagraph (A)(ii), to provide such manufacturers with timely updates to the list of third-party distributors and resellers identified pursuant to the process under subparagraph (B).
(3) Submission
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the strategy under paragraph (1).
(4) Form
The report required by subsection (a)(1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but portions of the report described in paragraphs (1) and (2) may contain a classified annex, so long as such annex is provided separately from the unclassified report.
(b) Department of state strategy
(1) Strategy required
The Secretary of State (in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence) shall develop a strategy to prevent the export to Iran of technologies from the United States and allied and partner countries which are used, or may be used, by Iran in the design, development, production, or operational employment of unmanned aircraft systems (including the microelectronics listed in subparagraphs (A) through (F) of subsection (a)(1)).
(2) Elements
The strategy under paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
(A)
A process for the Secretary of State (in consultation with the relevant Secretaries and heads specified in paragraph (1)) to proactively identify foreign manufacturers of the technologies referred to in such paragraph.
(B)
A process for the Secretary of State to engage with any ally or partner of the United States regarding technologies which have been incorporated into an unmanned aircraft system produced by Iran, for the purpose of synchronizing the export control regime of such ally or partner with the United States export controls developed by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to the strategy under subsection (a) with respect to such technology.
(3) Submission
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the strategy under paragraph (1).
(4) Form
The report required by subsection (b)(1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but portions of the report described in paragraphs (1) and (2) may contain a classified annex, so long as such annex is provided separately from the unclassified report.
(c) Requirement for secretary of defense To develop range of options
(1) In general
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense (in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence) shall develop a range of options that may be employed by the Armed Forces of the United States to counter or otherwise deny Iran the ability to acquire technologies used, or that may be used, in the design, development, production, or operational employment of unmanned aircraft systems by Iran, including the following technologies:
(A)
Microcontrollers.
(B)
Voltage regulators.
(C)
Digital signal controllers.
(D)
GPS modules.
(E)
Microprocessors.
(F)
Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.
(G)
Computer numerical control machines.
(2) Briefing
Not later than 45 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the options developed under paragraph (1).
Sec. 5. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees
The term appropriate congressional committees means the following:
(A)
The Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
(B)
The Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
(2) Unmanned aircraft; unmanned aircraft system
The terms unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft system have the meanings given those terms in section 130i of title 10, United States Code.