U.S. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Thursday released the following statement regarding implementation of sanctions legislation recently passed by Congress.
“The Senate and House spoke loud and clear by overwhelmingly passing this piece of legislation and sent a strong signal to Iran, Russia and North Korea that our country will stand firm and united in the face of destabilizing behavior,” said Senator Corker. “The guidance provided today by the State Department is a good first step in responsibly implementing a very complex piece of legislation, and I appreciate Secretary Tillerson’s attention to this important issue. Congress will expect thorough and timely consultation until full implementation is complete.”
Senator Corker was a key author of the legislation to sanction Iran, Russia and North Korea. He spoke earlier Thursday with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and requested an update on implementation of the legislation.
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said, “It is clear Iran is a belligerent actor in global politics seeking to destabilize the region for their own power and advance their perverse ideology. They are the world’s leading supporter of terrorism and their rhetoric toward their neighbor, Israel, and the United States remains hostile. Iran continues to conduct ballistic missile tests with no regard to binding resolutions from the United Nations Security Council. These tests and their unwavering support of fundamentalist militias show they have no interest in being a productive member of the international community.
"I stand with the people of Israel, and was proud to support non-nuclear sanctions, stop the funding of terrorist activities, and condemn Iran.”