Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), introduced legislation this week to strengthen sanctions against Iran, expand U.S. defense cooperation with Israel and block funding for the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
“Taken together, this suite of bills sends a clear message that the United States stands firmly with Israel,” said Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “To better protect our interests at home and strengthen our alliance with Israel, we must strengthen the U.S.-Israel security partnership and stand with Israel against antisemitic institutions that threaten the existence of our closest ally in the Middle East.”
The Iran bill would increase sanctions on the Islamic Republic and institutions like Chinese banks, shipping companies and insurance providers that help the country sell its oil. It would require a plan to phase out waivers given to some countries to buy Iranian oil.
It would also set up an interagency task force to track those oil sales and identify any other sanctions needed.
The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).
The United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 would extend and expand current security programs involving the two countries, plus establish new initiatives to increase cooperation on defense issues such as countering drones and working to stop tunnels into Israel.
That legislation also is bipartisan with Blumenthal, Ricketts, Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) among the co-sponsors.
The Stop the ICC Act would ban funding for the ICC and prohibit cooperation with it in response to its decision to issue warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leadership.
The decision created “a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist organization,” according to the release.
The measure, co-sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), would also stop any U.S. economic support for the Palestinian Authority based on its cooperation with the ICC.
