Senate passes Iran sanctions, 99-0

With a vote of 99-0, the legislation has cleared another major hurdle toward becoming law. The House is expected to follow suit and vote on the conference report this afternoon, where it should pass by a similar wide margin.

“The world has watched as Iran has oppressed its own people, violated United Nations resolutions, challenged America and threatened Israel,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in remarks from the Senate floor. “The Senate is taking an important step forward today as we pass a conference report that will impose tough new sanctions on Iran. We are passing these sanctions because we believe we must stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon — a weapon that would surely threaten the national security of the United States and of Israel.”