Iran Sanctions Extension Bill

Floor Speech

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This week, Senators will have a chance to pass the Iran Sanctions Extension Act that recently passed the House on an overwhelming vote. Preserving these sanctions is critical, given Iran's disturbing pattern of aggression and its persistent efforts to expand its sphere of influence across the Middle East.

This is all the more important, given how the administration has ignored Iran's overall efforts to upset the balance of power in the greater Middle East and how it has been held hostage by Iran's threats to withdraw from the nuclear agreement. The authorities extended by this bill give us some of the tools needed to impose sanctions if necessary to hold Iran accountable and help keep Americans safer from this threat.

I expect that next year the new Congress and the new administration will undertake a review of our overall policy toward Iran, and these authorities should remain in place as we address how best to deal with Iranian missile tests, support to Hezbollah, and support of the Syrian regime.

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