Approval of New Sanctions Against Iran by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee

On Thursday, May 25, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a bill calling for new sanctions against Iran. These sanctions are proposed due to Iran's development of ballistic missiles, support for Islamist militant groups, arms transfers, and human rights violations in the country. The bill was passed with 18 votes in favor and 3 against. Supporters of the bill argue that it does not violate the international nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between the P5+1 countries and Iran. Previously, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State during Barack Obama's presidency, who led the nuclear negotiations with Iran, warned against imposing sanctions that could undermine the nuclear agreement. Kerry stated that there were many ups and downs in achieving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and welcomed discussions on this matter. He added, 'My former friends and colleagues share my view: Now is the time to proceed with caution.' Kerry referred to Hassan Rouhani's re-election as president and said, 'Now is not the right time to propose new sanctions against Iran.' Earlier, the U.S. Treasury Secretary also announced on Wednesday, May 24, that the country would review the licenses for the sale of Boeing and Airbus passenger planes to Iran. Steven Mnuchin, who was present at a Q&A session of the House Ways and Means Committee for the new U.S. budget proposal, emphasized that he would do 'everything possible at the Treasury Department to impose additional sanctions against Iran, Syria, and North Korea to protect American lives.' According to the draft of this bill introduced in April, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps would be sanctioned as part of the intensification of non-nuclear sanctions against Iran, and sanctions against individuals accused of supporting terrorism under executive orders of the president would be legalized. The bill also requires the U.S. president to sanction any individual or entity that violates the UN ban on arms sales to Iran. Iran has previously considered unilateral U.S. sanctions against its missile program as a violation of the nuclear agreement with six world powers, known as the JCPOA. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have stated that these new sanctions do not violate the nuclear agreement with Iran. Senator Menendez told Reuters, 'We have meticulously worked to ensure that the new sanctions bill is structured in a way that does not impact the nuclear agreement as it currently stands.' Previously, American senators had warned about Iran's missile tests and the 'destabilizing behavior' of the Islamic Republic in the region, indicating that nothing prevents the U.S. Congress from imposing further sanctions against Iran. So far, international inspectors and the U.S. State Department have confirmed the parties' compliance with the nuclear agreement. Current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated last January that he would conduct a 'complete review' of the nuclear agreement with Iran but did not request that the agreement be rejected. The nuclear agreement between Iran, the U.S., Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany was reached in July two years ago in Vienna, Austria; under this agreement, known as the JCPOA, Iran agreed to suspend or halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran.