H.R. 5623: Seized Iranian Arms Transfer Authorization Act of 2025 (119th Congress) Bill Summary

The Seized Iranian Arms Transfer Authorization Act of 2025 (also known as the SEIZE Act of 2025) seeks to give authority to the President of the United States regarding weapons and materials seized in transit from Iran to the Houthis in Yemen. Below is a summary of the key provisions of the bill:

Disposition of Weapons and Materiel

The bill allows the President to classify any weapons or materials seized by the U.S. while they are being transported from Iran to the Houthis in Yemen as officially belonging to the United States. This means the seized items can be treated as part of the U.S. military stockpiles.

Drawdown Authority

The bill proposes an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which gives the President the power to draw down (or distribute) the classified weapons and materials to foreign partners. This means that once the items are classified as U.S. stocks, the President can provide these items to allied nations or partners as needed.

Reporting Requirements

The bill mandates that the President must report to Congress within 180 days of the enactment of the Act and then annually thereafter. The report must include:

The number of times the President has used the authority to classify seized items as U.S. stocks.
An inventory of the weapons and materials that have been treated as U.S. stocks.
An inventory of the weapons and materials that have been provided to foreign partners under the new drawdown authority.

Definition of Appropriate Committees

The bill specifies which congressional committees will be designated as "appropriate committees" for oversight. These include:

The Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations in the Senate.
The Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House of Representatives.

Implementation Timeline

Once enacted, these provisions will enable the President to act on seized weapons without delay, providing a structured approach for managing these items and facilitating international relations.