House, Senate signal more work on Iran sanctions bills

But House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said more needs to be done, and that legislation is coming.

“The U.S. and our allies should be imposing stronger sanctions from every possible angle in order to make the pressure crippling, including additional, more effective sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran,” she said. “The administration has yet to take that critical step. Fortunately, the Congress is moving to remedy this.”

Ros-Lehtinen’s committee has moved on two bills, one of which would repeal the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) of 1996 and replace it with tougher language that limits the ability of the Executive Branch to waive sanctions against Iran. It also requires a report on the efforts of the Central Bank of Iran to help Iran acquire nuclear weapons. As other supporters of tough sanctions against Iran have done, Ros-Lehtinen noted that sanctions under ISA and a 2010 Iran-sanctions law have been lacking due to waivers.

“[W]e have not yet seen the necessary and full implementation of sanctions against entities or governments engaged in significant business with the Iranian regime,” she said. “We need to employ the full force of our sanctions laws immediately, and that includes sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies that continue to do business with Iran but have been previously let off the hook by the administration.”

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) said Monday that he welcomes the Obama administration’s new sanctions, but also said the Senate would continue to work on legislation.

“Iran’s continuing defiance of its international legal obligations and refusal to come clean on its nuclear program underscore the need for continued pressure from the international community on its government,” Johnson said. “That’s why the Banking Committee is developing new bipartisan legislation to impose further U.S. sanctions against Iran — to strengthen and reinforce ongoing international efforts to isolate its government and force compliance with its legal obligations.”

Iran-sanctions legislation is generally popular in Congress, and has been among the most bipartisan issues it has dealt with. The final version of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 was approved in a 408-8 vote in the House, and 99-0 in the Senate.