Enzi 6-16-17
The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan measure today that would allow expanded sanctions against Iran and Russia.
Wyoming Republican U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso both supported the measure.
The bill would impose sanctions on persons involved with Iran’s ballistic missile program and those that transact with them. It would apply terrorism sanctions to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and codify sanctions for individuals who contribute to Iranian support for terrorism. It would also require the president to block the property of any person or entity involved in specific activities related to the supply, sale or transfer of prohibited arms and related material to or from Iran.
An amendment to the Iran sanctions bill would maintain and expand sanctions against the government of Russia in response to the violation of the territorial integrity of the Ukraine and Crimea, its cyber-attacks and interference in elections and its continuing aggression in Syria. The bill would require congressional review before sanctions could be relaxed or terminated.
It would also impose new sanctions on corrupt Russian actors; those seeking to evade sanctions; those involved in serious human rights abuses; those supplying weapons to the Assad regime; those conducting malicious cyber activity on behalf of the Russian government; those involved in corrupt privatization of state-owned assets; and those doing business with the Russian intelligence and defense sectors. This would include broad new sanctions on key sectors of Russia’s economy, including mining, metals, shipping and railways.
Barrasso, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was successful in including language in the bill to assist Ukraine and our allies in Europe to enhance energy security and decrease their dependence on energy from Russian sources. He was also able to include a provision in the bill to establish that it is the policy of the United States to prioritize the export of United States energy resources to create American jobs, help United States allies and partners and strengthen United States foreign policy.
The bill now heads to the House to be voted on and would also need to be signed by the president.