New Bill Passed in the U.S. House of Representatives to Condition Lifting Sanctions on Iran

On Thursday, October 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that prohibits the President of the United States from lifting sanctions on Iran until Tehran pays compensation to the victims of terrorism. According to Reuters, the new bill was approved with 251 votes in favor and 173 against. Under this bill, until Iran pays the $40 billion in damages determined by U.S. courts for American victims of terrorist operations linked to Iran, President Barack Obama cannot lift sanctions on Iran. The report states that Republicans in the House supported this bill while Democrats opposed it. This new Republican bill was passed in line with their ongoing opposition to the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. Reuters notes that there is little chance this bill will pass in the U.S. Senate, as last month, Democratic and independent representatives managed to prevent the review of the Iran nuclear agreement in the Senate. The White House announced on Wednesday that if this bill is passed in Congress, Barack Obama will veto it. According to Reuters, Republican representatives in Congress want to show that they still oppose the nuclear agreement with Iran, and if one of the Republican candidates wins the presidential election in 2017, they will likely take actions against the nuclear deal with Iran. Iran and six world powers reached a comprehensive agreement in Vienna on July 14 to resolve the Islamic Republic's nuclear dispute. Under this agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran's nuclear program is limited, and in return, most international sanctions against Tehran will be lifted. Previously, Republicans, who hold the majority in the House and Senate, attempted to force the Obama administration not to implement this agreement by voting against it. However, despite showing a strong majority against the nuclear agreement in a symbolic vote in the House with 269 votes against and 162 in favor, Senate Republicans failed in three attempts to reach a conclusion on the sufficiency of negotiations before the deadline for review (September 17), and the bill was removed from the agenda without a vote.