It was introduced by Senator Robert Menendez out of concern that Iran was pressing ahead with its nuclear weapons drive despite earlier sanctions that had been hailed as the toughest-ever against Iran. He cited last week's report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran continues to defy the United Nations and world community by refusing to slow uranium enrichment, denying access to inspectors and conducting live tests of conventional explosives that could be used to detonate a nuclear weapon.
Building on the sanctions passed last year, the amendment would designate Iran's energy, port, shipping and ship-building sectors as "entities of proliferation" because they "support and fund Iran's proliferation activities." Under the new rules, the United States would sanction anyone selling or supplying certain commodities to Iran - including graphite, aluminium, steel, and some industrial software - that are relevant to the country's ship-building and nuclear sectors.