![\"2016-12-02_0-04-52\"](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/12\/2016-12-02_0-04-52.jpg\" "\\"2016-12-02_0-04-52\\"")
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The U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation Thursday reauthorizing sanctions against the Iranian regime for the next decade.<\/p>\n
In a 99-0 vote, the Senate approved a bill that would extend sanctions against Tehran\u2019s ballistic missile development and weapons programs not covered by last year\u2019s landmark nuclear agreement. The measures were set to expire at year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
The bill passed the Senate two weeks after the House of Representatives also approved the legislation by an overwhelming margin of 419-1.<\/p>\n
It is now headed to the White House, where President Barack Obama is expected to sign it, the the Wall Street Journal reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cI expect the president will sign the legislation when it reaches his desk, and the secretary of state will retain the authority to continue to waive all of the relevant nuclear-related sanctions authorized by the legislation,\u201d a senior administration official said, according to the WSJ.<\/p>\n
The official also stressed the White House\u2019s view that the renewal of these sanctions \u201cdoes not constrain the United States\u2019 ability to uphold our commitments\u201d in the nuclear agreement and that as long as Iran’s regime \u201cadheres to its commitments\u201d in the agreement, \u201cwe will remain steadfast in our commitment to maintain sanctions relief.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawmakers said the legislation was needed to ensure that sanctions remain in place next year to keep Tehran in check, given that other international sanctions were loosened under the nuclear deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is even more important given how the current administration has been held hostage by Tehran\u2019s threats to withdraw from the nuclear agreement and how it has ignored Iran\u2019s overall efforts to upset the balance of power in the greater Middle East,\u201d Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said on the Senate floor Thursday.<\/p>\n
Based in part on wire reports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation Thursday reauthorizing sanctions against the Iranian regime for the next decade. In a 99-0 vote, the Senate approved a bill that would extend sanctions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":47505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[175],"class_list":{"0":"post-21603","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iran-a-world","8":"tag-updated"},"yoast_head":"\n