White House: Trump Will Sign Congress Bill on Sanctions Against Iran, Russia, and North Korea

The White House announced on Friday, August 6, that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, will sign the congressional bill on sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea. According to Reuters, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokesperson, stated in a statement that Donald Trump has read the initial draft of this sanctions bill and has also held discussions regarding key elements of the bill. The statement added that the President intends to sign this bill based on the negotiations he has conducted. The Senate approved the sanctions yesterday with 98 votes in favor and 2 against. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives had also approved the sanctions on Tuesday with 419 votes in favor and 3 against. According to the Associated Press, the strong support of Congress members for this sanctions bill has significantly reduced the likelihood that the President will veto it. This bill was initially introduced in the Senate under the title 'Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities' and imposed sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile development, support for terrorism and militia groups, and human rights violations. However, Democratic representatives called for the inclusion of sanctions against Russia in this bill. Ultimately, Republicans agreed to add sanctions against Russia to the bill. The newly approved bill by the House and Senate imposes sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea, support for Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, and possible 'interference' in the 2016 U.S. elections. According to the Associated Press, this sanctions bill targets individuals, human rights violators, arms-exporting companies, and the Russian energy sector. The bill also intensifies sanctions against North Korea due to its continued missile and nuclear tests. While the White House states that the President will sign the new sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea, Iranian officials have threatened to respond to these sanctions in recent days. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, reacted to the new U.S. sanctions against Iran by saying, 'If the enemy violates part of the agreement, we will also violate part of it,' and threatened that the Islamic Republic will 'certainly' take 'reciprocal action' against the sanctions. Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, stated on Wednesday that the American bill encompasses a collection of issues that may include most of the sanctions that existed in the past and still exist, but were previously based on a presidential decree and are now codified into law. The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament added that these sanctions 'will not have a significant impact on the country' and that 'the American bill has a lot of propaganda value.' Nevertheless, the European Union expressed concern over the new sanctions bill on Wednesday and announced that it would respond to the House's bill in the 'coming days.' These sanctions could disrupt the export of oil and gas from Russia to the European Union. In this context, Putin criticized the new U.S. sanctions, stating, 'Russia's response depends on the final version.' The U.S. Senate also approved new sanctions against Iran and Russia. The White House spokesperson stated that the government supports sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea. Rouhani asserted that 'we will certainly take reciprocal action against the new sanctions.' In response to the new sanctions, Zarif stated, 'The successful implementation of the JCPOA will be affected.'