The Council of the European Union on April 14 sanctioned seven individuals and two entities under its Iran sanctions regime for their role in arbitrarily detaining EU "mono and dual nationals on spurious grounds" and executing members of ethnic and religious minorities, the council said. The entities are the Shiraz Central Prison and the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz. The individuals are members of the judiciary, including two involved with the prison system.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved several sanctions and export control bills April 9, including one that would increase sanctions on Iran's energy sector to deprive Tehran of revenue it uses to fund terrorism.
The House Republican Study Committee unveiled a package of sanctions bills April 1 aimed at backing the Trump administration’s efforts to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism.
The Treasury Department’s recent sanctioning of a Chinese oil refinery for buying and refining Iranian crude (see 2503200014) was a "great first step" but should be expanded to other refineries to ensure Tehran's energy revenue is significantly reduced, a researcher told a congressional panel April 1.
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill March 10 aimed at giving Congress more oversight over administration actions to ease sanctions on Iran.
Canada last week announced new sanctions against people and entities for either helping Iran acquire controlled technology or having ties to human rights violations committed by the Myanmar military regime.
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., introduced a bill March 3 to repeal the sunset provision of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. The existing law, which calls for sanctioning Iran’s weapons programs and support for terrorism, is scheduled to sunset at the end of 2026. The bill, entitled the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Ways and Means, Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform committees.
The Trump administration plans to build international support for using sanctions to counter Iran’s nuclear weapons program, deputy secretary of state nominee Christopher Landau said March 4.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, introduced a bill Feb. 12 that would increase sanctions on Iran's energy sector to deprive Tehran of revenue it uses to fund terrorism.
Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Reps. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., introduced a resolution Feb. 13 urging the U.K., France and Germany to reimpose sanctions on Iran for violating its nuclear weapons-related obligations. Tenney said the “snapback” of U.N. sanctions needs to occur before they expire Oct. 18. The sanctions would include export controls, asset freezes and other restrictions on those involved in Iran's nuclear and missile activities. The lawmakers said the European action would complement President Donald Trump's recent efforts to increase Iran sanctions enforcement (see 2502050020).