Senate Democrats and Republicans voted overwhelmingly to renew sanctions on Iran for 10 years Thursday, despite attempts by the Obama administration to stymie Congress.
The sweeping congressional approval comes in the aftermath of a United Nations report documenting Iranian violations of the Iran nuclear deal and the election of President-elect Donald Trump, who has called the agreement “the worst deal ever negotiated.”
The Senate passed the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), an extension of a 1996 measure set to expire this month, 99-0, just weeks after the House easily passed the extension 419-1 in November. The White House had sought to delay the ISA renewal, arguing that the administration has sufficient authority to sanction Iran if the Islamic Republic violates the deal. Secretary of State John Kerry also reportedly advised lawmakers against renewing the package Tuesday.
“The administration continues to retain substantial authorities that can be used to impose financial sanctions on the Iranian regime,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters this week.
But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been pulling for the package’s extension, despite threats from Iranian officials that renewing the measure would violate the nuclear deal.
“Iran is making this up,” Maryland senator Ben Cardin, ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told THE WEEKLY STANDARD this week. “Congress, by extending ISA, is not taking any new steps against Iran at all.”
Cardin and a number of other senators have argued that ISA is critical for congressional “snapback” sanctions, in case Iran violates the nuclear deal.
“At the end of the day, if you’re going to snap back to something in violation, you’re going to need something to snap back to,” New Jersey senator Bob Menendez told TWS this week. “It’s just common sense.”
The bill will now go to the president for final approval. The White House has not issued a veto threat, and the administration has said that the sanctions package is technically permitted under the nuclear deal.
The ISA was passed in 1996 to deter investment in Iran’s energy sector and hinder the country’s ability to support terrorism.
