US House moves to limit JCPOA implementation
The Foreign Affairs Committee in the US House of Representatives has approved a bill that would limit President Barack Obama’s ability to lift Iran sanctions as planned under the nuclear agreement with Tehran.
The bill is designed to prevent the removal of certain Iranian individuals and financial institutions from the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list, until the president assures Congress that they were not involved in Iran's ballistic missiles program or alleged terrorist activities, the AP reported Thursday.
The introduction of the bill comes as Washington is preparing to lift sanctions against Iran, possibly as early as this month, under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA, reached between Iran and six world powers in the Austrian capital of Vienna on July 14, 2015, puts limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the removal of all economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic related to its nuclear program.
The House committee’s bill, which is scheduled for a vote in the full Congress this week, targets more than 50 individuals and entities included in an attachment to the nuclear deal, as well as the Treasury's "Specially Designated Nationals" list.
The committee's chairman, GOP Representative Ed Royce claimed that Iran’s acceleration of its missile program has demonstrated that it cannot be a trusted partner.
However, Representative Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, opposed the bill, saying that it is not likely to become law.
The GOP-led panel’s move came days after reports surfaced that the US Treasury notified Congress of looming sanctions against individuals in Iran, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates following Iran’s missile testing in October and November of last year.
However, the sanctions were delayed after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued an order calling on the country’s Defense Ministry to expedite efforts for boosting the country’s missile program.
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