Maximum Pressure Act

HR2570, the Maximum Pressure Act, was introduced in the House on April 1, 2025 by Rep. Zachary Nunn (R-IA) with 55 cosponsors. The bill proposes codification of existing Iran sanctions executive orders and adds new secondary sanctions targeting Iran's Supreme Leader, arms sales, shipping sector, and fund transfers. It was referred to seven committees (Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Ways and Means, Oversight, Financial Services, Rules, and Intelligence) and has had zero legislative action since that initial referral date. The bill remains at the earliest stage of the legislative process. There is zero funding attached to this bill. It is an authorization bill that changes sanctions policy — it does not allocate or appropriate any dollars. The economic mechanism is entirely regulatory: by tightening secondary sanctions, the bill aims to reduce Iranian oil export revenue. The actual market impact depends entirely on executive enforcement, which is controlled by the President regardless of this bill's passage. The legislative path is extremely challenging. The bill must pass through seven committees sequentially or simultaneously, then the House floor, then the Senate (where an identical companion bill does not exist — the only related bill, HR2012, is a separate Iran sanctions review bill). Even if passed, the President could veto or waive sanctions under existing authorities. The 13-month stall is the strongest signal: this bill lacks sufficient momentum to advance. Structural winners in a theoretical passage scenario would be US oil producers who benefit from tighter global supply: , $OXY, $COP. Losers would be companies with any direct exposure to Iran-linked trade, though for major US-listed companies this is essentially zero. The retail and consumer sectors face negligible compliance cost increases. Timeline: No hearings have been scheduled. The 119th Congress runs through January 2027. Without committee markups or a discharge petition, the bill is effectively dead for the current session. Legislative velocity is zero — 9 actions on the same day, 13 months of silence.