Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEEHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to seek justice for victims of Iran's state-sponsored terror.

One of those victims is Chief Petty Officer Robert Stethem. In June 1985, Petty Officer Stethem, 23 years old, was murdered by Hezbollah terrorists aboard hijacked TWA Flight 847 in Beirut. He was executed when the hijackers realized he was a United States servicemember. They tortured him, and then they murdered him in cold blood before leaving his body on the tarmac below the plane.

Madam Speaker, Hezbollah is one of Iran's most lethal terrorist proxies. In 2002, a Federal judge ordered Iran to pay more than $320 million to Stethem's family and other victims of Flight 847's hijacking. It is one of the more than 80 judgments that require Iran to pay $43 billion to victims of its radical allies. Not one dime has been paid.

Despite Iran's refusal to compensate its victims, it will soon get a $150 billion windfall from the end of the sanctions under the proposed nuclear deal. In short, Iran's hardliners will get a payday while their victims await billions of dollars in compensation.

Madam Speaker, I have introduced legislation, the Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act, which prohibits the removal of sanctions until Iran pays every penny it owes. It is the least we can do for victims like Chief Petty Officer Stethem and the families that suffered at Iran's hands, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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