Senate Republicans are moving to disrupt Iran's budding military alliance with Russia through new legislation that would authorize a bevy of new sanctions on Tehran.
The DISRUPT Act, spearheaded by Sen. James Lankford (R., Okla.), would authorize sanctions on a range of Iranian regime entities that provide military support to Russia as it wages an unprovoked war in Ukraine, according to a copy of the new bill obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Iran has emerged as a key military ally for Moscow, providing it with deadly drone technology that has been used to target sites across Ukraine.
The legislation is one of the first efforts by the new Congress to directly target Iran and Russia's expanding military alliance. It would stop President Joe Biden from lifting any sanctions on Iran until the country "ends its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine," according to information about the bill provided by Lankford's office. A related bill also introduced by Lankford on Wednesday would stop Iran from importing American products that help fuel its terrorism enterprise, pointing to reports that U.S.-made parts were discovered in an Iranian drone downed in Ukraine.
The measures could further complicate efforts by the Biden administration to secure a revamped version of the 2015 nuclear deal. Earlier this month, the administration reauthorized a series of sanctions waivers permitting Iran and Russia to conduct multibillion-dollar nuclear work. If passed, Lankford's legislation would block the Biden administration from lifting these and other sanctions on Tehran. The bill is expected to garner widespread Republican backing in the Senate and could attract hawkish Democrats who are increasingly interested in severing Moscow's military alliance with Iran. The Republican-controlled House has already signaled there is a bipartisan appetite for increasing pressure on Iran.
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