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The IRAN Act: Internet Reach and Access Now Act

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Key Provisions of the IRAN Act

1. Comprehensive Internet Freedom Strategy: The IRAN Act mandates that the U.S. Secretary of State lead the development and coordination of a strategy to promote unrestricted internet access for civilians in Iran. This builds upon the existing Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, ensuring a sustained focus on internet freedom and access to information.
2. Circumventing Internet Blackouts: The IRAN Act calls for the development of strategies to bypass the regime's frequent internet blackouts, which are often imposed during protests or periods of heightened dissent. These tools will assist Iranian activists and civil society in organizing and communicating even when the regime attempts to silence them.
3. Regular Strategy Updates: The legislation mandates periodic updates to the comprehensive internet freedom strategy, ensuring that U.S. efforts remain adaptive to the regime's evolving tactics for suppressing free speech and access to information.
4. Guidance on Access to Technology: The bill requires the U.S. Department of the Treasury to ensure that sanctions enforcement does not prevent companies from providing necessary internet access tools, such as VPNs and secure messaging platforms, to the Iranian people. This provision is essential to maintaining the flow of information in a highly censored environment.
   • This does not mean lifting or weakening sanctions. Instead, it aims to ensure that sanctions remain targeted and precise—punishing the regime and its enablers while allowing civilians access to tools for communication and self-organization.

Supporting the Iranian People’s Fight for Freedom

In the broader context of U.S. policy toward Iran, the IRAN Act represents a vital component of the ongoing efforts to maximize support for the Iranian people. The concept of "Maximum Support", as advocated by NUFDI and FDD, focuses on empowering Iranian civilians by providing them with the resources and tools needed to resist the regime’s repression and reclaim Iran. The IRAN Act specifically addresses one of the most critical elements of this support: internet freedom.

In a society where the regime routinely imposes information blackouts and censors communication, access to an open and secure internet becomes a lifeline. It allows protesters to organize, activists to amplify their messages, and ordinary citizens to communicate with the outside world. In this way, internet freedom is not merely a technical issue but a core element of the Iranian people's ability to challenge the regime and advocate for their rights.

By securing unrestricted access to the internet, the IRAN Act directly aligns with objectives of Maximum Support, ensuring that Iranians have the digital tools needed to coordinate resistance efforts, share information about regime abuses, and build solidarity both within Iran and with the global community.

House vs. Senate Versions of the IRAN Act

• House Version (H.R. 9299):
  • Focuses on coordinating U.S. government efforts to promote internet freedom for Iranian civilians.
  • Requires updates to the internet freedom strategy but does not allocate specific funding for these initiatives.
• Senate Version (S. 5076):
  • Includes all the provisions in the House version, but also authorizes $30 million in funding for grants to support internet freedom programs in Iran.
  • Mandates security audits for the technologies provided to ensure their integrity and safety from compromise by the regime.
  • These funding and security provisions make the Senate version more comprehensive, providing the financial backing necessary for scaling efforts and safeguarding the technology used by Iranian activists and civil society.

The IRAN Act can play a critical role in the United States' broader strategy of maximizing support for the Iranian people. By promoting internet freedom, the Act provides Iranians with the tools they need to stay connected and resist the regime’s efforts to isolate and silence them. In a country where internet access is often weaponized by the government, ensuring secure, open, and reliable communication channels is essential for any pro-democracy movement.

The Senate version of the bill, with its $30 million funding provision and added security measures, offers the strongest path forward for implementing these changes. Supporting the IRAN Act, particularly the Senate version, aligns directly with the goals of the Maximum Support Strategy, empowering the Iranian people to pursue their democratic aspirations in the face of repression.