Obama Signs Toughest-Ever US Sanctions on Iran
Local Editor
US President Barack Obama signed into law the toughest ever US sanctions on Iran, which he said would strike at Tehran's capacity to finance its nuclear program and deepen its isolation.
The measures, on top of new UN Security Council and European sanctions, aim to choke off Iran's access to imports of refined petroleum products like gasoline and jet fuel and curb its access to the international banking system.
"With these sanctions - along with others - we are striking at the heart of the Iranian government's ability to fund and develop its nuclear programs," Obama said at a White House ceremony, before signing the sanctions into law.
"We are showing the Iranian government that its actions have consequences, and if it persists, the pressure will continue to mount, and its isolation will continue to deepen. There should be no doubt that the United States and the international community are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."
The US Senate and House of Representatives approved the legislation - which backers described as the toughest ever unilateral US sanctions against the Islamic republic - by crushing 99-0 and 408-8 margins last week.
The United States spent months assembling an international coalition for new United Nations Security Council sanctions on Iran, which passed last month.
The measures, the fourth such set of UN penalties levied on Iran, are meant to punish Tehran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment work.
World powers led by Washington have accused the Islamic Republic of seeking to build nuclear weapons and are demanding it freeze its uranium enrichment activity, which can be a key step towards developing an atomic arsenal.
Iran denies its nuclear program has a military use stressing that its program is for peaceful uses and it accuses the West of adopting a double standard policy as it confirms that the nuclear program is its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) while "Israel", which is believed to be the sole nuclear power in the Middle East with more than 200 nuclear heads, is not a signatory for this treaty.
US President Barack Obama signed into law the toughest ever US sanctions on Iran, which he said would strike at Tehran's capacity to finance its nuclear program and deepen its isolation.
The measures, on top of new UN Security Council and European sanctions, aim to choke off Iran's access to imports of refined petroleum products like gasoline and jet fuel and curb its access to the international banking system.
"With these sanctions - along with others - we are striking at the heart of the Iranian government's ability to fund and develop its nuclear programs," Obama said at a White House ceremony, before signing the sanctions into law.
"We are showing the Iranian government that its actions have consequences, and if it persists, the pressure will continue to mount, and its isolation will continue to deepen. There should be no doubt that the United States and the international community are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."
The US Senate and House of Representatives approved the legislation - which backers described as the toughest ever unilateral US sanctions against the Islamic republic - by crushing 99-0 and 408-8 margins last week.
The United States spent months assembling an international coalition for new United Nations Security Council sanctions on Iran, which passed last month.
The measures, the fourth such set of UN penalties levied on Iran, are meant to punish Tehran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment work.
World powers led by Washington have accused the Islamic Republic of seeking to build nuclear weapons and are demanding it freeze its uranium enrichment activity, which can be a key step towards developing an atomic arsenal.
Iran denies its nuclear program has a military use stressing that its program is for peaceful uses and it accuses the West of adopting a double standard policy as it confirms that the nuclear program is its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) while "Israel", which is believed to be the sole nuclear power in the Middle East with more than 200 nuclear heads, is not a signatory for this treaty.
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