07.27.17

Hoeven: Senate Approves New Sanctions for Iran, Russia & North Korea

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today voted with a bipartisan majority to pass legislation placing additional sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea. The bill was amended and approved by the House of Representatives earlier this week, following its initial passage by the Senate.

“These additional sanctions are important tools to help push back against the aggressions of Iran, North Korea and Russia,” said Hoeven. “The sanctions against North Korea are a good first step, and I will continue working with my colleagues to further strengthen our efforts to restrain this unstable and dangerous regime.”

Hoeven has supported strong sanctions to prevent Russian and North Korean aggression and to stop Iran from funding terrorism. Hoeven called on the U.S. to pressure China to reign in North Korea following the country’s successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier this month. The senator has also voted to extend sanctions on Iran’s energy sector through 2026 and joined a bipartisan majority of senators in voting against the Obama Administration’s nuclear agreement with the Iranian government, which lifted several financial sanctions on Iran. 

The legislation passed today includes following provisions to strengthen U.S. policy:

Russia

  • Restrictions on transactions with Russian individuals and entities linked to human rights abuses, arms sales to Syria or cyberattacks conducted on behalf of the Russian government
  • Requires congressional permission to relax current sanctions
  • Authorizes the imposition of broad new sanctions on economic sectors in Russia including mining, metals, shipping and railways
  • Authorizes assistance to democratic institutions that have been targeted by cyberattacks, propaganda and misinformation campaigns        

Iran

  • Requires the President to develop a regional strategy for countering Iranian threats in the Middle East and North Africa
  • Requires the President to block transactions of anyone who contributes to Iran’s ballistic missile program and requires a regular report on any contributions
  • Imposes terrorism related sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
  • Authorizes new sanctions on persons violating human rights in Iran
  • Imposes sanctions on anyone attempting to violate existing arms embargos on Iran

North Korea

  • Expands mandatory sanctions on North Korea to include activities like purchasing minerals from North Korea, transferring military fuel to North Korea and providing insurance to North Korean vessels
  • Withholds U.S. foreign assistance from any country that provides lethal military equipment to North Korea
  • Prohibits any ships not complying with UN resolutions related to North Korea from operating in the United States
  • Expands sanctions related to North Korean human rights abuses to include prohibiting any goods produced with North Korean forced labor from entering the United States

-###-