Al-Monitor- The US House of Representatives voted to extend�the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) on�Nov. 15, and the Senate followed suit on Dec. 1,�approving the measure in a vote of 99-0 and�sending it�to President Barack Obama�for his signature. �We believe the Iran Sanctions Act extension is not necessary, but we also believe it won't interfere with the Iran deal,��said�Eric Schultz,�deputy White House press secretary. �I would expect the president to sign this piece of legislation.�

US sanctions against Iran had originally�been set out in 1996 in the�Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA)��to impose sanctions on persons making certain investments directly and significantly contributing to the enhancement of the ability of Iran or Libya to develop its petroleum resources.� After sanctions on Libya ended, the ILSA was renamed�the Iran Sanctions Act, which passed in 2006.

The day after the November�House vote, Iran adopted a�strident tone in�warning�about its consequences. On Nov. 16, Ali Shamkhani,�secretary of the�Supreme National Security Council (SNSC),�said, �If you extend the sanctions, this will�mean kicking out the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], and we will confront it through implementing powerful technical packages.� Moreover, in a Nov. 23�meeting with members of the volunteer Basij forces, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,�said, �If these sanctions are extended, it will surely constitute a violation of the JCPOA, and [the United States] should know that the Islamic Republic will definitely react to it.�
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