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[TheRealTalker]

BREAKING: Senate Republicans and Democrats join forces to pass sweeping sanctions bill targeting Iran, Russia.

Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul only No's today in Senate vote for Russia and Iran sanctions [url]https://www.c-span.org/video/?430032-1/us-senate-resumes-debate-iran-sanctions-bill&live …[/URL]

https://www.c-span.org/video/?430032-1/us-senate-approves-iranrussia-sanctions-bill&live=

Yesterday I tweeted Sanders supported Russia and Iran sanctions, he supported Russian ones but opposed final bill today h/t @JonathanCohn

Warren, however, did back the final bill.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/15/russia-iran-sanctions-senate-vote-239594

The Senate on Thursday voted 98-2 for new sanctions on Iran and Russia, including new powers for Congress to block President Donald Trump from rolling back any penalties against Vladimir Putin's government.

The bipartisan support for the year's most significant GOP-backed limitation on Trump comes as the White House remains silent on the plan to sanction Moscow, even as President Putin pushes back at U.S. intelligence officials' conclusion that Russian actors conducted cyberattacks to disrupt the 2016 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly dismissed Russian electoral meddling, raising questions about whether the White House might reject the Senate's sanctions deal.

Senate votes 98-2 to impose new sanctions on Russia and Iran

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) hailed the lopsided vote in favor of the Iran sanctions bill that he helped shepherd to passage with the Russia measure attached, but he stopped short of echoing previous predictions that Trump would sign the combined sanctions legislation once it clears the House.

Corker told reporters that "I only have talked a little bit with" Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who testified twice this week that the White House would prefer "flexibility" to adjust Russia sanctions as needed. "I have no idea" if the White House is adequately concerned about Russian intervention in last year's election, Corker added, but "hopefully the White House will acknowledge" the massive level of Senate support for new sanctions against Russia.

The Senate-passed sanctions bill also converts existing penalties against Moscow into law, potentially making them more difficult to remove, and prevents the Trump administration from returning two Russian diplomatic compounds seized in December by the Obama administration as punishment for alleged electoral disruption. The State Department has said that talks are ongoing with Russia over the possible return of the compounds, underscoring the Trump administration's interest in securing more cooperation from Moscow in ending the Syrian civil war.

The Senate's Iranian sanctions legislation imposes new restrictions on Tehran's ballistic missile program, also aiming to punish Iran for supporting terrorism and human rights violations. Before passing the combined Russia-Iran measure, the chamber also attached a bipartisan amendment signaling support for NATO's Article 5 — which Trump earlier this month notably declined to endorse in Brussels — by a unanimous vote.

The only two votes against the Russia-Iran sanctions deal came from GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.

...

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Why are we sanctioning Iran? I thought it came out recently that they have been following the deal Obama did with them?

Or am I totally misremembering?

 

[madstarr12]

President Doofus Stump will tweet any minute now...

 

[TheRealTalker]

Why are we sanctioning Iran?

Syria mostly

and that Russia and Iran work toe to toe with each other

sharing air bases, money, policy, etc...

 

[Khansolo1]

What was Bernie's reason for not voting for this?

 

[ratcliffja]

How is this breaking if they voted and it was reported yesterday? Is there something different that happened today?

 

[TheRealTalker]

How is this breaking if they voted and it was reported yesterday? Is there something different that happened today?

yesterday's one was to stop lifting sanctions

this one is new sanctions and the power to prevent trump from lifting sanctions

 

[chekhonte]

Good but I seriously hope that they're doing a hell of a lot more behind the scenes. 2016 was such a shit show and I imagine that 2020 will be just as big a disaster with out the Ruskies help.

 

[Kettch]

What was Bernie's reason for not voting for this?

http://thehill.com/policy/national-...new-iran-sanctions-could-blow-up-nuclear-deal

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) slammed the Senate's decision on Thursday to levy new sanctions on Iran, saying that the penalties could put the 2015 nuclear deal at risk.

"That is not a risk worth taking, particularly at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia and its allies," Sanders said in a statement. "I think the United States should play a more even-handed role in the Middle East and find ways not only to address Iran's activities, but also Saudi Arabia's decades-long support for radical extremism."

 

[GSG Flash]

also aiming to punish Iran for supporting terrorism and human rights violations.

So I'm guessing Saudi Arabia is next on the sanctions list /s

These sanctions just prove Iran's point that the US is not a fair nor a rational actor considering that Iran has been following through with their part of the nuclear deal. Not that it matters to them anyways, I think they care more about their business with Europe.

 

[The Albatross]

Trump admin says it's not necessary, is against it.

Please, House, pass this shit.

 

[KHarvey16]

So I'm guessing Saudi Arabia is next on the sanctions list /s

These sanctions just prove Iran's point that the US is not a fair nor a rational actor considering that Iran has been following through with their part of the nuclear deal. Not that it matters to them anyways, I think they care more about their business with Europe.

The sanctions aren't about the nuclear program.

 

[ratcliffja]

Trump admin says it's not necessary, is against it.

Please, House, pass this shit.

They have a hotter seat then the Senate, so I'd be very surprised if they didn't pass it. The bigger questions are whether Trump will veto it and whether Republicans would dare to override the veto. They have the numbers to override it, but overriding Trump's veto is a bigger political move than the initial bill.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

They have a hotter seat then the Senate, so I'd be very surprised if they didn't pass it. The bigger questions are whether Trump will veto it and whether Republicans would dare to override the veto. They have the numbers to override it, but overriding Trump's veto is a bigger political move than the initial bill.

I have to assume he'll sign it quietly and with no comment. I assume.

 

[Fenderputty]

Political version of: Shots fired

 

[kruis]

US foreign policy in the middle east is so fucked up. More sanctions against Iran will blow up the nuclear deal. Added to this are 110 billion dollar weapon sales to Iran's arch enemy Saudi Arabia and US military support to anti Assad rebels (i.e Al-Quaeda and friends) All this will only rack up the tension between these two countries. And the most troublesome thing is that Saudi Arabia has done far more to fuck up the world than Iran.

"That is not a risk worth taking, particularly at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia and its allies," Sanders said in a statement. "I think the United States should play a more even-handed role in the Middle East and find ways not only to address Iran's activities, but also Saudi Arabia's decades-long support for radical extremism."

This right there.

 

[Fenderputty]

The added sanctions are a nice way of giving republicans political cover for basically giving trump a huge fuck you

 

[Chumly]

How the fuck did democrats allow the Iran sanctions to creep into the bill?

 

[Vicetrailia]

So did Putin give up on sanctions now? Just focusing on NATO?

 

[Zolo]

How the fuck did democrats allow the Iran sanctions to creep into the bill?

It's the Russia sanctions that were amended into the Iran sanction bill. Iran sanctions were always going to get passed.

 

[Flying Toaster]

The added sanctions are a nice way of giving republicans political cover for basically giving trump a huge fuck you

Yep. But at this point a win is a win.

 

[kingkaiser]

This new sanctions have been heavily criticized by the German and Austrian foreign ministers. There is talk of a single-handed US action without any arrangement nor agreement with the European partners.

It's blatantly obvious the current US administration is trying to shoehorn an energy deal in their favor to "compensate" Europe for the loss of cheap Russian gas with overpriced American liquefied petroleum gas.

 

[_Ryo_]

The amusing thing about this is Trump loses whether or not he vetoes it.

If he does veto he will look incredibly guilty, and if he doesnt it is a general loss.

 

[sphagnum]

Sanctioning Iran is dumb. They should scrap this and write one just about sanctioning Russia.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

The amusing thing about this is Trump loses whether or not he vetoes it.

If he does veto he will look incredibly guilty, and if he doesnt it is a general loss.

I think he's beyond looking guilty so he wouldn't care if he vetos

 

[_Ryo_]

I think he's beyond looking guilty so he wouldn't care if he vetos

He might be too dumb to personally care if he looks guilty but in the end it is more ammunition for those that are investigating him, ergo it is a loss for Trump.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Considering how Congress has become increasingly impotent in the face of expanding presidential power, I'm just glad the Senate decided to move to restrict Presidential powers on something. It'd be nice to approach something resembling a genuine balance of powers.

 

[Zolo]

He might be too dumb to personally care if he looks guilty but in the end it is more ammunition for those that are investigating him, ergo it is a loss for Trump.

He can't do the "It's because of the Iran sanction" since he's tough on Iran. I'm guessing he'll just use the "It takes away power from the executive branch, and makes it difficult to negotiate." point.