A group of 16 Senate Democrats have unveiled their bill to impose new sanctions on Iran if international negotiators fail to reach a deal by June 30 on Tehran's nuclear program, one of the authors of the initiative, Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) said.
Kirk said that the bill would impose sanctions on Iran "only if it fails to reach a comprehensive agreement by June 30." In addition, the legislation also increases the current congressional oversight of the negotiations, requiring the administration to formally submit any new nuclear agreement text or extension to Congress within five days.
If the talks fail, according to the text new sanctions would close loopholes in existing petroleum sanctions, enhance sanctions on Iran’s oil trade and financial transactions, and impose further sanctions on Iran’s senior government officials, family members and other individuals for weapons of mass destruction proliferation, terrorism sponsorship and other illicit activities, and on Iran’s shipbuilding, automotive, construction, engineering and mining sectors.
Senator Robert Menendez said that the Democrats had made a commitment earlier Tuesday that they would not take a final vote on the bill before March.
