Senate panel approves Iran sanctions bill

Sanctions to be imposed if deal isn’t reached; legislators tell Obama they will not push bill until end of March

By AP 29 January 2015, 7:30 pm

Edit

Senate Banking Committee member Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. gives his opening statement on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, during the committee's hearing on Iran sanctions. (AP/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON — A bill that would levy tough new sanctions on Iran if it fails to sign an agreement to curb its nuclear program cleared a Senate committee on Thursday. But lawmakers are holding off on a full Senate vote to see whether diplomatic negotiations yield a deal.

Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee voted 18-4 to pass the bill aimed at ramping up economic pressure on Iran starting in July if it doesn’t ink an international deal preventing it from having the capability to develop a nuclear weapon.

Republicans still can move ahead, but that’s unlikely without Democratic support. They wouldn’t have enough votes to override President Barack Obama, who says he’ll veto the legislation because it would derail the diplomatic effort to reach a deal.

The US and other nations negotiating with Tehran have long suspected Iran’s nuclear program is secretly aimed at atomic weapons capability. Tehran insists the program is entirely devoted to civilian purposes.

Talks with Tehran have been extended until July, with the goal of reaching a framework for a deal by the end of March. Iran’s state-run IRNA news service said Wednesday that Iranian lawmakers have proposed a bill that would scuttle the diplomatic effort if the US imposed new US sanctions.

The US bill would not impose any new sanctions during the remaining timeline for negotiations. It says that if there is no deal by July 6, the sanctions that were eased during negotiations would be reinstated. After that, sanctions would be stepped up every month.

The committee also voted to amend the bill to include a statement that Israel, an archenemy of Iran, has a right to defend itself. Other amendments to the bill that passed allow Congress to vote on any deal approved with Iran; beef up reporting requirements for verifying that Iran is complying with any agreement reached and task the Treasury Department to report on the economic impact of sanctions relief on Iran.