Sponsors (3)
The bill increases U.S. leverage, oversight, and humanitarian protections to deter Azerbaijani hostile actions and protect civilians, but it expands sanctions authorities, executive discretion, and compliance obligations that risk harming innocents, constraining diplomacy, and imposing economic and legal burdens.
Border communities, civilians, and U.S. taxpayers: the bill authorizes immediate and credible sanctions/deterrent measures against Azerbaijani officials and entities engaged in hostile actions, increasing U.S. leverage to discourage escalation without direct military intervention.
Immigrants, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals: the law explicitly exempts humanitarian and essential goods (food, medicine, medical devices, agricultural commodities) from sanctions, protecting civilian access to basic needs.
Federal employees, congressional committees, and the public: the bill increases congressional reporting, advance notices, and unclassified updates on hostile actions, sanctions status, and waivers, improving oversight, transparency, and timely awareness of U.S. policy in the Armenia–Azerbaijan context.
Small businesses, financial institutions, and taxpayers: broad definitions and expanded scope (including some banking and transaction restrictions) will likely raise compliance costs, increase regulatory complexity, and create new administrative burdens.
Civilians and businesses in the targeted country, plus U.S. taxpayers: sanctions and the threat of sanctions can harm ordinary people and firms, disrupt trade, and risk escalating tensions if perceived as partisan interference.
Immigrants, family members, and non-combatants: immediate visa bans, inadmissibility, and designations that sweep in family members risk denying entry and harming innocent people who have no role in hostilities.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Requires sanctions on Azerbaijani officials, units, and facilitating foreign persons/financial institutions if the President certifies hostile actions against Armenia, with exceptions and waiver authority.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Darrell Issa · Last progress September 30, 2025
Imposes mandatory U.S. sanctions on Azerbaijani officials, military units, and foreign persons or financial institutions that knowingly participate in or facilitate hostile actions against the Republic of Armenia once the President certifies such actions. The law defines key terms, creates targeted financial and visa-related penalties, builds in humanitarian and intelligence exceptions, allows a presidential waiver, requires regular reporting to Congress, provides criteria for ending sanctions, and sunsets all provisions seven years after enactment.