ICYMI: Iran Sanctions Legislation Passes Overwhelmingly in The House

CBS News: Congress takes aim at Iran's nuclear program, oil income with new sanctions
(AP) WASHINGTON - Congress voted Wednesday to slap sanctions on Iran's energy, shipping and financial industries, convinced that increasing the economic pressure on Tehran will derail its suspected nuclear weapons program. "Ultimately, we will all be judged by a simple question: Did we stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapons capability?" said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., during the House debate. "If the answer is no — if we fail — then nothing else matters. If we fail, it would be of no comfort to the American people, whose security and future would be put in danger. If we fail, it would be of no comfort to our ally Israel, whose very existence would be put in danger." Ros-Lehtinen, the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, negotiated the compromise bill. (Also in Times of Israel, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Times of India, Businessweek, Washington Examiner, ABC News)

Miami Herald: Congress approves new sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON -- Congress voted Wednesday to slap sanctions on Iran's energy, shipping and financial industries, convinced that increasing the economic pressure on Tehran will derail its suspected nuclear weapons program. "Ultimately, we will all be judged by a simple question: Did we stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapons capability?" said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., during the House debate. "If the answer is no - if we fail - then nothing else matters. If we fail, it would be of no comfort to the American people, whose security and future would be put in danger. If we fail, it would be of no comfort to our ally Israel, whose very existence would be put in danger." Ros-Lehtinen, the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, negotiated the compromise bill. 

New York Times: House Approves Tightened Sanctions Against Iran
The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved new sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry, strengthening efforts to thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is the legislation’s sponsor, said the bill “blacklists virtually all of Iran’s energy, financial and transportation sectors, and cuts off companies that keep doing business with Iran from access to our markets in the United States.”

Bloomberg: Congress Clears New Sanctions on Doing Business With Iran
The U.S. Congress voted to impose new sanctions on companies and individuals that do business with Iran’s oil and natural gas industries. “We declare that the Iranian energy sector is off limits,” Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican and chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on the House floor. “Let’s stop Iran before it’s too late.”

Fox News: House approves new sanctions on Iran
The Senate has joined Congress in voting to slap sanctions on Iran's energy, shipping and financial industries. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the proposed bipartisan, bicameral bill “counters Iran's efforts to evade them.” Ros-Lehtinen and Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said their staffers have worked for weeks to reconcile a bill the House passed in December and one the Senate approved in May.

CNBC: Congress approves new Iran sanctions on oil, shipping sectors
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress overwhelmingly passed a new package of sanctions against Iran on Wednesday that aims to punish banks, insurance companies and shippers that help Tehran sell its oil. The legislation, agreed to by senior lawmakers of both parties, "seeks to tighten the chokehold on the regime beyond anything that has been done before," said Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

National Journal: What Congress Does Agree On: Iran Sanctions
Nearly all partisan squabbles were put aside Wednesday when the House approved 421-6 tougher sanctions on Iran. The Senate promptly passed the sanctions bill under unanimous consent. "This bipartisan, bicameral agreement seeks to tighten the choke hold on the regime beyond anything that's been done before," Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said on the House floor. "Unless the executive branch fully implements these measures immediately, the regime is likely to regain its footing."

Haaretz: U.S. House of Representatives approves new sanctions on Iran
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to slap sanctions on Iran's energy, shipping and financial industries, convinced that increasing the economic pressure on Tehran will force it to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program. "Ultimately, we will all be judged by a simple question: Did we stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapons capability?" said Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, during the House debate. "If the answer is no … if we fail … then nothing else matters. If we fail, it would be of no comfort to the American people, whose security and future would be put in danger. If we fail, it would be of no comfort to our ally Israel, whose very existence would be put in danger."

Chicago Tribune: US House to vote on new Iran sanctions on oil, shipping sectors
WASHINGTON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to pass a new package of sanctions against Iran on Wednesday that aim to punish banks, insurance companies and shippers that help Tehran sell its oil. The bill "seeks to tighten the chokehold on the regime beyond anything that has been done before," Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a debate on the bill ahead of the vote.

The Hill: House, Senate approve tougher sanctions against Iran, Syria
Both houses of Congress approved legislation on Wednesday that would significantly tighten sanctions against Iran's energy, shipping and insurance sectors. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said the bill necessarily steps up U.S. efforts to stifle Iran's economic development in a bid to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons that have the potential to strike the U.S. from afar. "Ultimately, we will all be judged by a simple question: Did we stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapons capability? If the answer is no — if we fail — then nothing else matters," she said. "History is full of avoidable tragedies, of foolish countries that have allowed their enemies to prepare to destroy them," she added. "The entire world now is fully aware of Iran's true intention. Now is the time to take a stand."

AFP: US Congress approves new sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON — The US Congress approved punishing new sanctions targeting Iran's energy and shipbuilding sectors, a day after President Barack Obama unveiled measures to cripple Tehran's nuclear drive. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly 421-6 for the measure, which Foreign Affairs Committee chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen described as the toughest sanctions yet imposed on the Islamic republic over its refusal to rein in its nuclear program. "This bipartisan, bicameral agreement seeks to tighten the chokehold on the regime beyond anything that has been done before," Ros-Lehtinen told the House. She said the sanctions effectively put Iran's energy sector "off limits, and it blacklists any related unauthorized dealings," ultimately "depriving Iran of hard currency and funds needed to sustain its nuclear program." (Also in France24)

Voice of America: US House Approves Tough New Sanctions on Iran
CAPITOL HILL — The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed tough new economic sanctions designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.  The bill passed the House by a vote of 421 to 6.  It was crafted with the Senate, which is expected to approve the measure this week. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida, hailed the unity in both chambers of Congress behind a bill to take more action against the Tehran government. "This bipartisan, bicameral agreement seeks to tighten the choke hold on the regime beyond anything that has been done before," Ros-Lehtinen said.