The U.S. Senate will vote to renew sanctions on Iran in the next month, sending the bill to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it, the chamber's Republican leader said on November 16.
The House voted overwhelmingly for the 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act, first adopted in 1996 to deter the country's pursuit of nuclear weapons. The act is due to expire at the end of 2016.
"We're going to take up the House bill," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "and we're going to pass it."
Although the United States has granted Iran some sanctions relief under a deal requiring Tehran to curb its nuclear ambitions, legislators say they want the reinstatement of sanctions to remain an option for future U.S. presidents in case of future provocations by Iran, including possible violations of the nuclear deal.
The nuclear deal's future is uncertain as President-elect Donald Trump harshly criticized it during the campaign and every Republican in Congress voted against it last year.