A bill that would make Iran’s sanctions from 1996 permanent was approved on Wednesday by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Reps. California Rep. Michelle Steel, and Nevada’s Susie Lee, The Solidifying Iran Sanctions Act (SISA), which is headed for a full vote on the House floor, is supported by committee chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas. The bill would make the economic sanctions imposed on Iran in 1996, which are credited with slowing down their efforts to develop nuclear and biological weapons and preventing terrorist attacks on the United States and its Arab partners, permanent.
Voice vote ensured unanimous passage of the measure, which now moves on to the full House floor for a vote. Steel went on to say, “Iran’s evil regime has demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith.” We can only demonstrate the way to peace with force, put an end to their barbaric attacks on their own people, and stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon.
According to the California Republican, “By making these sanctions permanent, the U.S. is signaling to Iran that we will not tolerate their continued aggression” and that “our allies must also increase their pressure on the [rogue] nation.”
McCaul said he is “proud to support this important legislation” and praised Steel for her bill.
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee stated, “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 behavior.”
“One step closer to becoming law and keeping Iran in check,” Lee stated of the bipartisan bill.
Lee stated, “Congress must stand firm against the Iranian regime’s brutal repression of its own people, its funding of terrorism abroad, and its reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons.” This is true regardless of the political party in power.
From all over the country, Reps. are among the growing number of bipartisan cosponsors of the bill. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., August Pfluger, R-Texas, and Brad Sherman, a California Democrat.
Steel’s bill comes as President Biden is said to be in talks with leaders in Iran to stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Following reports last week that diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran had been quietly ongoing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that he is opposed to any “mini-agreements” on a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran.
“Israel will do whatever it needs to, with its own means, to defend itself from Iranian aggression both in the nuclear sphere and, of course, through its use of terrorist proxies,” the Israeli prime minister stated once more.
Netanyahu stated, “We have repeatedly stated to our American friends that we oppose the agreements.” We have also informed them that the smallest understandings, also known as “mini-agreements,” do not, in our opinion, advance the objective, and that we oppose them as well.”
On Wednesday, Steel’s bill came out of committee and is expected to get a full vote on the House floor.
