House Republican leaders implored President Obama to drop any plans to ease sanctions against Iran before he leaves office.
“We urge you not to take any action that would weaken United States or multilateral sanctions or other restrictions against Iran in the post-election period,” House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) wrote in a letter to Obama last week.
The letter comes amid news reports that the administration may take steps to support Iran’s economy by lifting some U.S. sanctions and by making it easier for American businesses to enter Iran.
“We respectfully request that your administration take no further actions designed to bolster international investment in Iran…,” the lawmakers said.
The letter also urges Obama to sign bipartisan legislation pending in the Senate that would extend the Iran Sanctions Act for a decade. The legislation is a direct response to Iran’s financing of terrorism in the region, test-firing ballistic missiles and violating the 2015 international nuclear agreement.
The House passed the Iran Sanctions Extension Act, H.R. 6297, earlier this month, a measure to force Iran to comply with the terms of the nuclear deal.
Republicans have denounced the Obama administration’s decision to issue a license to France’s Airbus to sell more than 100 planes to Iran, in a move to lift sanctions under the deal.
As a result, the House passed H.R. 5711, a bill that prohibits financial institutions from financing exports of aircraft to Iran.
“Only weeks after Iran was found to have violated the nuclear agreement, the Obama Administration is yet again giving the Ayatollah more concessions,” McCarthy said.
He noted that President-elect Trump campaigned against the Iran nuclear deal.
“The president’s executive agreement with Iran is on unstable ground, and actions like this underscore the need for the upcoming Trump Administration to review all options when it comes to this failed deal,” McCarthy said.