Warning from Two U.S. Senators About the Possibility of More Sanctions Against Iran

Two Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate have criticized Iran's missile program and the destabilizing behavior of the Islamic Republic in the region, warning that nothing prevents the U.S. Congress from imposing more sanctions against Iran. In remarks made on Sunday at the Munich Security Conference, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham described Iran's missile program as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and stated that Senate Republicans will soon introduce a plan to increase sanctions on Iran due to its ballistic missile tests. Mr. Graham noted that in his view, 'now is the time for Congress to directly address Iran's behavior outside the framework of its nuclear program' and emphasized that he and other Republicans are considering actions to hold Iran accountable for its actions. This senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee also accused the Islamic Republic of destabilizing behavior in the Middle East, describing the Iranian government as 'a bad actor on the international stage.' He addressed the Iranian government, saying, 'If you want to be treated differently, stop building missiles, violating the Security Council resolution on missile testing, and writing 'Death to Israel' on your missiles.' At the same Munich Security Conference, Christopher Murphy, a Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also emphasized that there is no obstacle for Congress to pass new sanctions against Iran. Mr. Murphy reminded that he supported the nuclear agreement with Iran on the premise that this agreement does not prevent the U.S. Congress from acting against other Iranian behaviors outside the nuclear framework. This Democratic senator, referring to Iran's recent missile tests, stated that discussions will take place regarding a proportional response to this action, and he does not believe there will be partisan disagreement about Congress's ability to respond. Iran believes that in the latest Security Council resolution, which violates previous resolutions of this council, only tests of missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads are prohibited, and therefore its recent missile tests do not violate Security Council resolutions. Iran also considers the imposition of new sanctions by the U.S. as a violation of the nuclear agreement. Although sanctions imposed in the past year, both under the Obama administration and recently under the Trump administration, have primarily targeted Iran's missile program, they have only added new names to previous sanctions rather than imposing new sanctions. In this context, the Israeli Defense Minister stated that Iran is the most significant challenge facing the Middle East. Saudi Arabia described Iran as 'the biggest supporter of terrorism.' Zarif stated that threats against Iran will not be effective. Pence emphasized America's commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Zarif noted that Europe, Russia, and China want to preserve the JCPOA. The White House stated that Iran's Ayatollahs will understand that a new president has come. The changing battlefield of 'proxy wars'; the war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. 1300 hours of internet outages; Witkoff: a horrific massacre occurred during the protests in Iran. The shadow of war over Tehran; 'Trump is looking for decisive military options against Iran.'