In an unexpected reversal, President Obama declined to sign a renewal of existing sanctions against Iran but let it become law anyway, in an apparent bid to alleviate Tehran’s concerns that the U.S. is backsliding on the nuclear agreement. The White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama had decided to let it become law without his signature. Press TV reports: The US Senate passed a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) on December 1, sending the measure to the White House for Obama to sign into law. The House of Representatives voted 419 to 1 last month to reauthorize ISA, which was first introduced in 1996 to punish investments in Iran’s energy industry based on accusations that Tehran was pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Under the US Constitution, the president has 10 days after Congress passes legislation to sign it, reject it or do nothing. The White House had said that the US president was expected to sign the bill into law, but Obama did not approve the measure as the Wednesday midnight deadline passed. In a statement late on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the president had decided to allow the [...]
The post Renewal Of Iran Sanctions Becomes Law Without Obama’s Signature appeared first on Your News Wire.