The US House of Representatives [website] passed the Iran Sanctions Extension Act [materials] Tuesday, aimed at expanding the duration of the 1996 sanctioning [text] of Iran. The Act is a reaction to a nuclear agreement reached between Tehran and several other nations, including the US, under the Obama administration. The agreement [text] sought to lessen the burden of long-standing sanctions against Iran in exchange for a more restrictive nuclear program. The Act will afford the US the “ability to immediately reinstate sanctions [press release] against Iran over the next decade,” if any breach of the agreement should occur.

The nuclear agreement was reached in July after the 20-month negotiations continued through several deadlines [JURIST reports] in hopes of progress. Over the past several years Iran has been subject to numerous sanctions for its contentious nuclear program. Iranian leaders have repeatedly claimed [JURIST report] that the developing nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the international community, Israel in particular, worries that Iran’s enrichment program was designed for military purposes. The US and France agreed [JURIST report] in March to strengthen nuclear talks with Iran to persuade the nation to restrain its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions and in April Iran agreed [JURIST report] to a framework deal to restrict its nuclear plan. A report obtained by the Associated Press in July from the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showed [JURIST report] that Iran has been keeping its commitment as part of a preliminary nuclear deal from 2013 barring Iran from expanding nuclear programs during negotiations.