Renewal of US sanctions violates nuke deal: Iran leader

By Abdul-Jabbar Abu Ras

TEHRAN (AA) - The renewal of U.S. sanctions on Iran for another ten years constitutes a "violation" of last year’s landmark nuclear deal, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Wednesday, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Last week, U.S. Congress approved a bill -- with 419 votes in favor and one against -- renewing sanctions on the Islamic republic for another decade.

"The U.S. administration has violated the joint nuclear agreement several times," Khamenei was quoted as saying Wednesday.

"Now the latest violation we see is the extension of sanctions imposed on us for another ten years," he added.

If the sanctions extension goes into effect, Khamenei said, it would represent a "flagrant violation of the nuclear deal" to which Iran "will be sure to respond".

The proposed legislation still requires approval by the U.S. Senate before being signed into law by the U.S. president.

The U.S. first passed its Iran sanctions law in 1996. In 2006, the law was renewed for an additional ten years.

In July of last year, Iran and the P5+1 group of nations (China, Russia, the U.S., France, Britain and Germany) signed a landmark deal according to which Tehran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of western sanctions.