U.S. Senate Committee Backs Iran Sanctions

A U.S. Senate committee has approved a package of proposed sanctions against Iran, pushing the legislation one step closer to becoming law.

The bill approved by the Senate Banking Committee on February 2 would target Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and companies involved in joint energy and uranium mining ventures with Tehran.

It would also penalize companies and individuals that supply Iran with weapons that could be used against the country's citizens, such as rubber bullets.

The legislation comes weeks after Congress backed sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank.

Senators said ratcheting up the sanctions would force Tehran to abandon its sensitive nuclear activities.

Compiled from agency reports