Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016, Congress declared that it deplored the religious persecution by the Government of Iran of the Baha’i community and would hold the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the rights of all Iranian nationals, including members of the Baha’i Faith; Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2016 Annual Report states— (1) The Baha’i community, the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, long has been subject to particularly severe religious freedom violations. The government views Baha’is, who number at least 300,000, as heretics and consequently they face repression on the grounds of apostasy. ; (2) Since 1979, authorities have killed or executed more than 200 Baha’i leaders, and more than 10,000 have been dismissed from government and university jobs. ; and (3) Over the past 10 years, approximately 850 Baha’is have been arbitrarily arrested. ; Whereas the Department of State 2015 International Religious Freedom Report states— (1) religious minorities in Iran continued to face societal discrimination, especially the Bahai community, which reported continuing problems at different levels of society, including personal harassment. ; (2) the Government of Iran continued to prohibit Bahais from officially assembling or maintaining administrative institutions, actively closed such institutions, harassed Bahais, and disregarded their property rights. ; (3) in Iran, Bahai blood may be spilled with impunity, and Bahai families are not entitled to restitution and Bahais cannot receive compensation for injury or crimes committed against them and cannot inherit property. ; (4) the Government of Iran requires universities to exclude Bahais from access to higher education or expel them if their religious affiliation becomes known.