US House approves bill to sanction Iran for ballistic missiles


The U.S. House has approved bipartisan legislation to slap new sanctions on Iran for its pursuit of long-range ballistic missiles without derailing the 2015 international nuclear accord that President Donald Trump has threatened to unravel.

The bill passed Thursday 423-2.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Ed Royce and Eliot Engel, requires the Trump administration to identify for sanctions the companies and individuals inside and outside of Iran that provide support to Tehran's ballistic missile programs.

Royce, a California Republican, is the Foreign Affairs Committee chairman. Engel, who is from New York, is the panel's top Democrat. Both opposed the nuclear agreement when it was forged two years ago, but neither lawmaker wants the deal ditched now.

Lawmakers are aiming to hold Iran accountable for what they say is reckless, destabilizing behavior.