Democratic and Republican senators expressed a desire to pursue tougher sanctions on Iran in response to its destabilizing and aggressive activities, as well as frustration over the Obama administration’s changing positions on Iran’s ballistic missile tests and its access to dollar transactions, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Several senators, including Democrats Ben Cardin (D – Md.), Chris Coons (D – Del.), and Bob Menendez (D – N.J.), indicated that they believe Congress should impose additional pressure on Iran to push back against its illicit ballistic missile tests. When Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon stated that he is concerned that such legislation could “give Iran any excuse to walk away from table,” Cardin responded that he won’t “allow Iran to determine what is in compliance with the JCPOA [the nuclear deal]… We will use the international standards but we will not use an Iranian standard.” Menendez called for sanctioning financial institutions that support Iran’s ballistic missile program, while multiple senators argued for reauthorizing the Iran Sanctions Act in order to affirm the United States’ readiness to snap back sanctions on Tehran if it violates the nuclear deal.

Senator Bob Corker (R – Tenn.) stated that there is “bipartisan frustration with the perception that previous commitments made by the administration are not squaring with reality.” Corker noted that in previous hearings, administration officials assured Congress that Iran would be banned from missile activity and that any new missile launches would be considered violations of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, but a joint U.S.-EU letter to the U.N. stopped short of calling Iran’s missile launches violations, and the Russians are using the weaker language in resolution 2231 that only “calls upon” Iran not to engage in missile activity as grounds to block the reimposition of U.N. sanctions.

Several senators expressed concern over multiple reports that the US would allow Iran access to dollar transactions. According to an Associated Press report on Tuesday, “the Treasury Department has prepared a general license that would permit offshore financial institutions to conduct foreign currency trades in dollars in support of legitimate business with Iran.” Sen. Marco Rubio (R – Fla.) stated at Tuesday’s hearing, “By allowing a U.S. bank a general license to move this money offshore, it is in essence allowing them [Iran] access to the US dollar.” At the hearing too, Menendez asserted, “Why are we, outside of meeting our strict obligations, facilitating the possibilities for them [Iran] to use their resources in such a way that is against our interests?”

[Photo: Senate Foreign Relations Committee ]