U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced a Senate resolution Tuesday to reiterate congressional support for state-level sanctions against Iran.
The move comes as international inspection teams are about to perform a final assessment of Iran's nuclear weapons program. It also addresses the recent nuclear accord with Iran supported by President Barack Obama that reiterates states' rights to issue their own sanctions independent of the federal agreement.
“With this bipartisan measure, Congress stands with the 30 states and the District of Columbia that have imposed sanctions against Iran’s threatening behavior,” Kirk said. “As the Iran nuclear deal hands over more than $100 billion to the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism, it’s critical for the United States to do all it can to prevent Iran from escalating its support for terrorism, militancy and human rights abuses in the Middle East and beyond.”
Of the 30 states that have divested from Iran, 11 have also made laws or policies that prohibit state or local governments from giving contracts to companies that do business with Iran.
The resolution is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). A sister version of the resolution was introduced in the U.S. House by a bipartisan group of representatives.
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