U.S. House of Representatives to Vote on New Non-Nuclear Sanctions Against Iran

Senior officials in the U.S. House of Representatives say that next week they will vote on a new sanctions bill related to Iran's missile program and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican majority leader of the House of Representatives, and Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated in a statement emailed to Reuters on October 20 that "it is Congress's duty to work with the executive branch to implement a clear and specific strategy against irresponsible behavior from Iran." McCarthy and Royce mentioned that "immediate action in this regard will take shape next week in the House of Representatives, with a vote on additional sanctions against Hezbollah [Lebanon] and Iran's missile development program." Reuters reports that the new actions in the U.S. Congress are expected to be linked to the imposition of further restrictions and toughness against Tehran, without an immediate repeal of the nuclear agreement between six world powers and Iran. The news agency cites several advisors and aides in the U.S. legislative body, stating that members of the House of Representatives are currently focused on countering Iran by adopting other means, including missile sanctions and sanctions against Hezbollah. Hezbollah is one of the most important groups that Iran supports in the Middle East and is considered one of the key militia groups involved in the Syrian civil war on behalf of Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. designates this group as "terrorist." Reuters notes that the new sanctions will likely intensify existing sanctions against real and legal entities that the United States has sanctioned outside its territory for allegedly supporting Iran's missile program. Estimates indicate that this bill will receive support from both the Republican and Democratic parties and will pass in both the House and Senate. Concurrently with Reuters' report, the Associated Press has also stated that it has seen a draft that was designed in the U.S. Senate following Donald Trump's announcement of a new strategy regarding Iran and the non-certification of Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, aimed at imposing restrictions on Tehran. This draft was prepared by Bob Corker, a Republican senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Tom Cotton, another Republican member, considering the Trump administration's considerations. It includes measures parallel to the nuclear agreement, such as unlimited prevention of enrichment, countering the testing and development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or countering Iran's "covert efforts" to obtain nuclear materials or related production equipment. The vote on non-nuclear sanctions in the House of Representatives takes place while Democrats oppose dismantling the nuclear agreement, and several Republican officials have defended the need to maintain it alongside increasing strictness and oversight measures regarding its violations. European countries, China, and Russia have also urged Trump not to withdraw from the nuclear agreement. European governments supporting the nuclear agreement have criticized Iran's missile tests. The Israeli government, one of the United States' key allies, has repeatedly expressed concern about Iran's activities and has called for the nuclear agreement to be canceled or amended. The U.S. government claims that Iran has violated the spirit of the JCPOA with some of its activities, including ballistic missile tests or its "destabilizing" actions in the region. The International Atomic Energy Agency has so far confirmed Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. The Iranian government states that its missile tests do not contradict the JCPOA and will continue, while accusing the U.S. of violating the spirit of the JCPOA. On October 18, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced in a statement that "the regional influence and power and the development of the missile capabilities of the Islamic Republic, which has occurred under full sanctions, will continue to accelerate and enhance without interruption." Last week, the U.S. President, as part of his new strategy regarding Iran, allowed the Treasury Department to add the Revolutionary Guard to its sanctions list.