Democratic Senator: There is no consensus for extending Iran sanctions law

Senator Ben Cardin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated on Tuesday that he is seeking to pass a proposal to extend the Iran sanctions law, but other Senate members do not agree on this issue. According to Reuters, the 'Iran Sanctions Act,' which includes nuclear, missile, and allegations of 'state terrorism' sanctions, will expire at the end of 2016, while both Democrats and Republicans want to extend this law. Senator Cardin acknowledged that Congress members do not have a unified view to present a new proposal that could secure the necessary votes. The Democratic senator said, 'Members have different views (on this matter).' The Obama administration had previously warned Congress members that any new sanctions conflicting with the nuclear agreement with Iran would be vetoed. According to Reuters, this approach by the Obama administration regarding any new sanctions against Iran has prevented Congress members from reaching an agreement on extending the Iran sanctions law. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, stated that he is working with Senator Cardin to draft a new proposal that would have support from both Democratic and Republican members. Senator Cardin is one of the Democrats opposed to the nuclear agreement with Iran and has supported Republican actions against this agreement since last summer. After the signing of the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, he proposed a plan to increase oversight of it, but Republicans blocked the proposal from being discussed in the Senate. Senators Tim Kaine and Chris Murphy, two Democratic supporters of the nuclear agreement with Iran, introduced a separate proposal last month to extend the Iran sanctions law, which would continue until President Barack Obama is assured of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. In this context, Kelly Ayotte, along with 18 other Republican senators, introduced a separate proposal to extend the Iran sanctions law until 2031. According to The Hill, this proposal, which was presented as an amendment to the 'National Defense Authorization Act' on May 25, did not receive the necessary votes. Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, emphasized that any proposal related to Iran that wants to be presented in the Senate must have the support of 67 members to effectively counter a presidential veto.