US Congress punished Iran for massive attack on Israel
The US Congress approved additional financial sanctions against Iran (photo: Getty Images)
The US House of Representatives has approved a series of bills aimed at increasing financial pressure on Iran. The decisions were made in response to the unprecedented missile attack on Israeli territory, according to The Hill.
Three separate bills were brought to a vote on Monday, April 15, under a suspension of the rules - an expedited process requiring support from two-thirds of the representatives to pass and allowing for immediate voting on the House floor.
The bills are primarily aimed at imposing financial sanctions against Iran, those who support it, and its network of trusted individuals.
Among them is a bill to revoke tax benefits for non-profit organizations supporting terrorist groups; legislation aimed at thwarting China's purchase of Iranian oil and oil products; and an attempt to cut off the Iranian government from using the American financial system.
The voted documents mostly do not provoke controversy and enjoy the support of the majority of Democrats, even though most of the House of Representatives is Republican.
Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider supported bill H.R. 6408, which revokes tax benefits for organizations supporting terrorism. He is the co-author of the document along with Republican David Kustoff. However, Schneider called on Republicans to bring an additional national security bill to a vote.
"I again want to thank my colleague, Rep. Kustoff, for his partnership and work on this legislation … and I urge all of my colleagues to not only support this legislation, but also, as we have said, to support the essential security funding that came from the Senate," he said.
Iran's large-scale attack on Israel
On the night of April 14, Iran launched a massive attack on Israel using drones and missiles. The targets were launched from Iran and proxies of the Iranian regime from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Over 200 drones and approximately 150 rockets were launched towards Israel. Israel, in partnership with the US, the UK, France, and allies in the Middle East, successfully intercepted almost all of these targets, except a few ballistic missiles.
In particular, US military forces, supported by destroyers in the Middle East, shot down over 80 kamikaze drones and at least 6 ballistic missiles launched from Iran and Yemen.
The US has stated its intention to continue assisting Israel in defending itself but does not seek war with Iran.
