The Proposal for 'Non-Nuclear Sanctions Against Iran' Has Resurfaced in the U.S. Senate

On Tuesday, January 25, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, along with fellow Republican Senators Todd Young and John Cornyn, reintroduced a proposal to increase non-nuclear sanctions against Iran. According to what has been published on Marco Rubio's website, the proposed plan, if approved by the U.S. Congress, would impose severe financial and economic sanctions on Iran due to what is described as 'provocative actions of the Islamic Republic.' These provocative actions include ballistic missile tests, human rights violations, and support for international terrorism. Mr. Rubio stated regarding the introduction of this plan that 'after several years of one-sided concessions and flexibility from the previous administration [Obama], now is the time for reciprocal actions by the United States against Iran's support for terrorism and its threatening actions in the area of ballistic missiles and gross human rights violations.' This Republican senator unveiled his sanctions proposal on the same day that Reuters and the Associated Press reported that the U.S. President is set to sign a law on January 25 that temporarily halts the entry of refugees. This law also temporarily restricts the visa issuance process for citizens of Iran, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Marco Rubio, who was considered a rival to Donald Trump during the U.S. presidential election, has stated he is ready to cooperate with Mr. Trump's administration to hold Iran accountable for its nuclear and non-nuclear threats. Mr. Rubio has been a staunch critic of Barack Obama's administration regarding negotiations with Iran. The proposal by these three senators was first submitted to the Senate in December of the previous year by Marco Rubio and John Cornyn, along with Republican Senators Mark Kirk and Kelly Ayotte. According to this proposal, new sanctions will be imposed on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Mahan Air. In this proposal, Mahan Air is identified as an airline that assists the IRGC in expanding terrorism and militarism. Additionally, a new unit will be established within the U.S. Treasury Department to monitor and identify entities that are 25% or more owned by the IRGC to impose sanctions on them. In another section of this proposal, existing sanctions in the area of human rights will be increased, and new sanctions will also be imposed due to human rights violations. This proposal also requires clarification regarding 'American citizens detained or kidnapped by the U.S. government in Congress, and the U.S. government's actions for their release must be explained.' Another part of this proposal includes the imposition of new sanctions against individuals who knowingly assist Iran's ballistic missile program. Entities that are 25% or more owned by Iranian organizations that play a key role in Iran's missile program will also be subject to sanctions. The Aerospace Industries Organization, Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, and Shahid Bakri Industrial Group have been identified as such organizations. The imposition of sanctions on individuals who directly or indirectly assist Iran's missile program in various sectors of the Iranian economy is also among the other aspects of this proposal. Earlier, in mid-December, the British newspaper Financial Times reported, citing U.S. congressional representatives, that Donald Trump's transition team was seeking a way to sanction Iran in a manner that would not conflict with the nuclear agreement. According to this report, potential sanctions would include actions related to Iran's missile program or concerning human rights records in the Islamic Republic. Sources in the U.S. Congress told this newspaper that the design of these new sanctions is intended to be carried out in a way that does not lead to the cancellation of the JCPOA. This newspaper's report came one day after the U.S. Senate approved the Iran sanctions law for another ten years, an event that provoked a strong reaction from Iran, with Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, calling it a violation of the JCPOA.