Senator Marco Rubio’s Bill concerning Hezbollah Sanctions has just been signed into law by President Trump.
Sharing his thoughts on the signing of the legislation, the Florida Senator commented that “Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, including the 241 Americans murdered in the Beirut Marine Barracks bombing on October 23, 1983, and they continue to pose grave dangers to the United States, Israel, and other allies. The Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act is another important step in strengthening international efforts to combat Hezbollah’s terrorist and missile threats. I thank President Trump for signing my Hezbollah sanctions bill into law, and for welcoming relatives of the Beirut Marines to the White House today to honor the ultimate sacrifice that these U.S. service members made 35 years ago. As Beirut Marine families seek justice in U.S. courts against those responsible for this heinous attack, I urge the administration, through the Solicitor General, to tell the U.S. Supreme Court that it opposes the Iranian terrorist regime’s request to overturn a federal appeals court decision preventing $1.7 billion in frozen assets from returning to the Central Bank of Iran.”
Working alongside Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen in 2017, both members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, they unveiled the “Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act,” which aims to expand sanctions from an earlier 2015 bill. The legislation targets companies that were supporting Hezbollah financially, technologically, and in other ways with recruiting and fundraising. In addition, the proposal ensures that The White House reports to Congress if financial institutes located in Iran and other state sponsors of terrorism are assisting Hezbollah.
Rubio and Shaheen have a long history of working together against Hezbollah, and they’ve received support from both sides of the aisle. In 2014, they both presented a resolution that urged the UN to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
