American Senator Presents Bill Against 'Hostage-Takers' of the Islamic Republic

About three months after the approval of a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to hold Islamic Republic officials accountable for 'taking hostages' of American citizens in Iran, Senator Tom Cotton introduced the 'Iran Hostage Act' to the U.S. Senate with additional proposals. According to the bill presented by Senator Tom Cotton on Thursday, July 19, if an American citizen or green card holder is imprisoned in Iran for political reasons, the Islamic Republic officials involved will be sanctioned, and their families will not be allowed to enter or remain in the United States. Republican Senator Tom Cotton stated during the introduction of this bill: 'Anyone who takes an American hostage has no right to come to the United States and enjoy America's freedoms.' This bill was previously approved in early April in the House of Representatives with 410 votes in favor and 2 against. The current proposal includes the House's resolution along with Tom Cotton's suggestions, which consist of five main points: - The U.S. government must take all legal measures to prevent Iran from taking American citizens hostage. - It should be declared that the U.S. government will not pay ransom for the release of hostages. - Sanctions such as visa denials and asset seizures should be imposed on officials responsible for political harassment against American citizens. - The President should be granted the authority to prohibit the families of these officials from entering the U.S. or to order their deportation. - These sanctions will only be lifted 30 days after the U.S. President declares that Iran has stopped taking American citizens hostage. The arrest of dual nationals and the issuance of prison sentences for them have increased in recent years in Iran. According to estimates by the Human Rights Campaign in Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has arrested and imprisoned over 30 dual nationals since the nuclear agreement, some of whom are American. Baqer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, and Xiyao Wang are currently imprisoned in Iran. Karen Vafadari, an American citizen, along with her husband Afrin Nissari, and Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen with permanent residency in the U.S., are also imprisoned in Iran. There is still no news about the fate of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared after traveling to Kish Island in the winter of 2007. Iranian officials have not yet reacted to Senator Tom Cotton's proposal, but they have consistently denied allegations of human rights violations in Iran, countering by attributing these accusations to the U.S.