WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously adopted a bipartisan amendment to the 2016 budget resolution that expresses the need to impose sanctions on Iran if it violates its agreements with the United States and our “P5+1” allies. U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Mark Kirk (R-IL) jointly sponsored the amendment.
“We are all united in our goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and I commend the President for seeking a diplomatic solution,” Brown said. “So far, Iran has complied with its commitments under the Joint Plan of Action. But if that changes, and the President determines that Iran has clearly violated this or any successive comprehensive nuclear agreement, our amendment makes clear the Senate's view that suspended sanctions should be snapped back in place, and new sanctions imposed."
Brown’s amendment sends a signal to Iran’s leaders about the need to continue to comply with their international commitments, and the consequences of any violations. The amendment expressed the Senate’s view about the need to “snap back” suspended sanctions and impose new sanctions on Iran if the President determines that it has failed to comply with its current commitments or a comprehensive nuclear agreement.
Brown has long advocated for strict and aggressive enforcement of existing sanctions against Iran, first as a means of bringing Iran’s leaders to the negotiating table, and now to maintain pressure on them to agree to a diplomatic solution to their nuclear dispute with the international community.
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