TEHRAN, Nov. 23 (MNA) U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Thursday he strongly supports nuclear talks between Iran and world powers but was committed to moving ahead with a tougher Iran sanctions bill when the Senate returns from a holiday recess early next month.I will support a bill that would broaden the scope of our current petroleum sanctions, place limitations on trade with strategic sectors of the Iranian economy that support its nuclear ambitions, as well as pursue those who divert goods to Iran, Reid said on the Senate floor.
A sanctions bill has been held up in the Senate Banking Committee for months, after President Barack Obamas administration appealed for a delay to allow time to pursue a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. The West says Iran may be pursuing nuclear weapons, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has conducted numerous inspections of Irans nuclear facilities and has never found any evidence showing that Irans civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.
The holdup by Obamas fellow Democrats, who control the Senate, angered many Republicans as well as some Democrats who threatened to push ahead with their own sanctions measures if the bill in the Banking Committee did not advance.
Members of Congress, backed by the influential pro-Israel lobby, tend to be more hawkish on Iran than the Obama administration.
Making it clear that they want sanctions to go ahead, 14 Democratic and Republican senators issued a statement later on Thursday saying they would work together over the coming weeks to pass bipartisan legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran.
Reid said he strongly supports nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, hopes they succeed and wants them to produce the strongest possible agreement.
While I support the administrations diplomatic effort, I believe we need to leave our legislative options open to act on a new, bipartisan sanctions bill in December, shortly after we return, Reid said.
By Mehr News Agency
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