Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) cosponsored the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act on Thursday, a bipartisan bill that could lead to additional sanctions against Iran if its regime violates terms of the nuclear agreement recently reached in Geneva.
The nuclear agreement reached between Iran and six world powers loosens economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for a six-month suspension of some components of its nuclear program while negotiations continue.
“Despite the White House’s opposition, many of my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle agree that we must be more aggressive in stopping Iran from developing its nuclear weapons capabilities,” Blunt said.
The measure would require reductions in Iranian petroleum purchases and further restrictions on the engineering, mining and construction sectors of Iran’s economy if the nuclear agreement were broken.
“If Iran has not made significant progress towards their determination that they will never pursue nuclear weapons at the end of the six-month interim period, this bipartisan legislation rightly calls for more robust sanctions,” Blunt said.
The measure would also provide more flexibility to the Obama Administration in pursuing a diplomatic track that results in the complete termination of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Blunt joined a bipartisan group of senators in supporting the measure, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).