Iran Sanctions Extension Bill Becomes Law Without Obama's Signature

On Thursday, December 25, Barack Obama, the President of the United States, allowed the Iran sanctions law, known as D'Amato, to be approved for the next 10 years. However, Mr. Obama refrained from signing the bill. According to Reuters, John Earnest, the White House spokesperson, stated, "Iran sanctions were extended without the signature of the President of the United States." The report indicates that Barack Obama's refusal to sign the sanctions extension bill came after he had withheld his signature for 10 days, and under U.S. law, in such cases, the bill automatically becomes law. Previously, Eric Schultz, one of the spokespersons for the U.S. State Department, had said on November 23 that Mr. Obama was expected to approve the bill. The extension of the Iran sanctions law was passed with a majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This bill was approved with 419 votes in favor and only one vote against in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate, it was approved with 99 votes in favor. Bernie Sanders, a former Democratic presidential candidate, did not participate in the Senate vote. What has been announced is not a violation of the nuclear agreement, and Washington is confident in the International Atomic Energy Agency's ability to assess Iran's compliance with the JCPOA. Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, stated that the current Iran sanctions law will expire on January 1. This law has been in effect since 1996 during Bill Clinton's administration, prohibiting investments over $20 million in Iranian industries, particularly in the energy sector. The U.S. Congress had previously voted in 2006 to extend these sanctions for another 10 years, and with the recent vote, this law has been extended until 2026. According to Reuters, Josh Earnest stated, "The U.S. government has made it clear that although Iran sanctions are not necessary, they do not contradict our commitments under the JCPOA." Nevertheless, Iranian officials, especially Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, have deemed the extension of sanctions a clear violation of the nuclear agreement. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has also considered the extension of sanctions as a violation of the JCPOA. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on December 14, accused the U.S. of violating the JCPOA and, in a letter to Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, requested that the organization begin studying and designing for "the production of nuclear fuel for propulsion purposes." In response to this order, Josh Earnest noted that the details of this matter are unclear, stating, "What has been announced is not a violation of the nuclear agreement, and Washington is confident in the International Atomic Energy Agency's ability to assess Iran's compliance with the JCPOA." According to Reuters, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated on Thursday that the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran remains a strategic goal for the United States.