House to consider non-nuclear Iran sanctions next week

The House is expected to consider legislation next week to impose new sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program that don’t take aim at the international deal to curb the country’s nuclear program.

A vote on the measure will come after President Trump announced earlier this month that he would not certify that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal.

Congress has 60 days to reimpose sanctions that were lifted as part of the accord. But for now, lawmakers will only be voting on legislation concerning non-nuclear sanctions.

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“It is Congress’ responsibility to work with the executive branch on a clear-eyed strategy to stop Iran’s reckless behavior,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said in a joint statement.

“In the coming weeks and months, the message from the United States to Iran and its proxies will be crystal clear: threats to U.S. security and the security of our partners will come at a heavy price,” they said.

Trump threatened to withdraw from the nuclear deal entirely if Congress doesn’t act.

“It might be a total termination. That’s a very real possibility; some would say that’s a greater possibility. But it could also could turn out to be very positive. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

Democrats are sure to oppose any bill that amounts to rewriting or negating the Iran nuclear deal. But the narrowly tailored bill targeting Iran’s ballistic missile program is expected to pass with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Royce has said that staying in the Iran deal at this point is a better alternative for the U.S. than pulling out of it.

“As flawed as the deal is, I believe we must now enforce the hell out of it,” Royce said at a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing this month shortly before Trump declined to recertify Iran’s compliance.

Lawmakers will also take action next week to target North Korea amid its nuclear provocations, a GOP aide confirmed.

A bill authored by Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) would direct the Treasury Department to ban U.S. financial institutions from engaging in significant transactions that benefit people or entities associated with the North Korean government.

It would further authorize cutting off financial assistance to foreign governments that knowingly fail to prevent financial services reaching the North Korean regime.

“The goal is to incentivize foreign banks to sever ties to anyone involved in the North’s economic activity and ultimately cut off Pyongyang’s access to the resources it needs in pursuit of its nuclear ambitions,” Barr said at the House Financial Services Committee markup of his bill earlier this month.

The House is further slated to consider legislation imposing sanctions on Hezbollah and to urge the European Union to designate the group as a terrorist organization.