US Senate Weighing Additional Measures Targeting Iran

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said that the Committee will be looking at renewing non-nuclear-related sanctions on Iran and taking other measures targeting Tehran’s ballistic missile program.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee will be looking at renewing non-nuclear-related sanctions on Iran and taking other measures targeting Tehran’s ballistic missile program, Committee Chairman Bob Corker told the press on Wednesday.

"Extending ISA [the Iran Sanctions Act] is one, and I think again, that will sail through the Senate," Corker said of new measures lawmakers are considering following the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement reached last July.

The Iran Sanctions Act is set to expire in 2016.

The Senate will look into tougher punitive measures following Iran’s recent ballistic missile tests, Corker said, noting that President Barack Obama’s sanctions against 11 individuals associated with the ballistic missile program were "not particularly strong."

Corker further indicated that the Foreign Relations Committee is "looking at one other area" to take action against Iran that he refused to specify.

On January 16, Iran met all its requirements for implementation of the nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Meeting the agreement’s requirements allows Iran relief from all nuclear-related sanctions imposed against it in recent years.

US lawmakers have proposed renewing the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act as backup sanctions, in the event Iran violates the terms of the nuclear agreement.