Senate Passes Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Bill
The U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive Iran sanctions bill.
The bill passed by voice vote Thursday evening hews closely to a companion bill passed last month in the U.S. House of Representatives; White House requests to roll back some of the harsher provisions were unheeded.
The bills target Iran’s energy sector, singling out for sanctions any entity – individual, company or even country – that deals in refined petroleum with Iran, a major oil producer, but with a refining sector in disarray.
The Obama administration has preferred to emphasize multilateral sanctions targeting Iran’s leadership coupled with diplomatic outreach. Both bills must now be reconciled and the final version is likely be signed by Obama, despite his reservations.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which led lobbying for the bills, urged swift passage and signing.
“Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons capability would be a devastating blow to America’s national security interests,” spokesman Josh Block said. “The U.S. and our allies must impose biting diplomatic and economic pressure to try and peaceably prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and avoid confronting more distressing alternatives.
The bills allow Obama waivers for national security reasons. Obama’s predecessors have exercised such waivers with earlier sanctions bills.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
