Strategy emerges to reimpose US nuclear sanctions on Iran under a different name
US congressional leaders are considering legislation that would renew the Iran Sanctions Act over a year before it is set to expire, as well as new sanctions targeting Iran’s terrorism-related activities that would re-list several entities relieved of sanctions under this month’s nuclear deal.
The intended effect of the new approach to sanctions would be to alleviate fear among lawmakers that the deal, which will lead to tens of billions of dollars in swift sanctions relief, might dramatically increase Iran’s funding of terrorism worldwide – a primary fear regarding Iran becoming a nuclear weapons- threshold state in the first place.
But at a hearing in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said the strategy may ultimately have the effect of scuttling the agreement.