House Backs NDAA Amendments on Iranian Oil Exports, Chinese Firms

The House of Representatives last week approved a proposal that would require the administration to report to Congress on how proceeds from illicit Iranian oil exports are funding Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Tehran’s terrorist proxies.

The report would have to include an "overview of efforts undertaken to enforce sanctions against Iran’s energy sector, including interdictions of tankers," the legislation says. Lawmakers in both parties have called for increased enforcement of Iran oil sanctions to reduce the revenue Tehran has available to fund aggression and terrorism (see 2404260009).

The House legislation, offered by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, was agreed to as an amendment to the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The House also backed an amendment by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., that would require the Defense Department to publish its 1260H list of Chinese military companies in Mandarin Chinese as well as English. Another approved amendment, by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., would permit DOD’s justifications for designating particular Chinese military companies to remain classified.

The House also passed an amendment by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., that would require the administration to write a report to help Congress better understand U.S. reliance on Chinese-made ocean shipping containers. “The United States should not solely rely on foreign adversaries for containers, which are not only used to ship consumers goods, but also sensitive defense systems,” Johnson’s office said.

Another approved amendment, by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., would require the secretary of state, in consultation with the secretaries of defense and treasury and the director of national intelligence, to develop a recurring, classified report on how the U.S. and key partners would respond to a Chinese military attack on Taiwan. The report would have to include an “assessment on the feasibility of economic tools to deter the People’s Republic of China from conducting covered contingencies,” the legislation says.

The House passed the overall bill by a 217-199 vote June 14. The Senate Armed Services Committee marked up its own version of the NDAA last week, sending it to the full Senate for its consideration.