A bipartisan group in the US House of Representatives has unanimously voted in favour of a bill that would make sanctions on Iran permanent, in an effort to put more pressure on Tehran and prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the Solidifying Iran Sanctions Act on Wednesday, making permanent the sanctions established by legislation passed in 1996 that was set to expire in 2026.
The bill was sponsored by Michael McCaul, the lead Republican on the committee; Michelle Steel, a Republican from California; and Democrat Susie Lee, in addition to 28 other members of Congress.
“Iran’s evil regime has proven they cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith. Only through strength can we show the path to peace, end their brutal attacks on their own people, and prevent a nuclear Iran,” Ms Steel said in a written statement to The National.
“By making these sanctions permanent, the US is signalling to Iran that we will not tolerate their continued aggression and to our allies that they must also increase their pressure on the rogue nation.”
The bill allows US presidents to impose sanctions on Iran that would put economic pressures on the country's energy sector, preventing the regime from acquiring the financial resources needed to further develop nuclear or biological weapons.
The legislation will now head to a full vote on the House floor.
“This bill takes the long overdue step of striking the arbitrary sunset from the Iran Sanctions Act, so that sanctions against the regime will only be lifted if Iran stops its threatening behaviour. Iran can’t run out the clock on US law,” Mr McCaul said in a statement.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for peaceful and civilian purposes.
The move comes amid continued denials by US officials that Washington and Tehran are inching towards a deal that would limit Iran's nuclear programme and allow for American citizens detained in the country to be released.
Earlier this month, The New York Times – citing Israeli, Iranian and US officials – reported that Washington and Tehran had been holding informal talks that would lead to Iran agreeing to limit its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran would also release American prisoners and stop attacks on US contractors in Syria and Iraq.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said there was no diplomatic agreement in the making, but that talks over the release detained Americans were continuing.
“There is no deal to speak to – we have and we will continue to talk to the Iranians about detained Americans in their country,” Mr Kirby said.
“When it comes to their nuclear ambitions, President [Joe] Biden has made it clear that we will not allow Iran to achieve a nuclear weapons capability.
“He would prefer for us to be able to deal, to achieve that outcome through diplomacy. Right now, diplomacy is not on the table. We're not pursuing diplomacy towards their nuclear ambitions.”
