WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, one of the few Senate Democrats to vote against the Iran nuclear deal, called Tuesday for new sanctions legislation against the Islamic Republic.
Menendez (D-N.J.) former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee cited Iran’s recent tests of ballistic missiles, some marked “Israel must be wiped off the Earth,” as he called for legislation imposing new restrictions on the country, such as limiting when banking sanctions could be lifted.
“Clearly, Iran will never change,” Menendez said. “The devil you see now is the devil you’ve always known. There has been no change, not in my experience, and, I expect, not in my lifetime.”
The sanctions proposed by Menendez are different than the worldwide restrictions lifted after Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program for more than a decade. Menendez voted against the deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and other world leaders, and said Tuesday that his position still was the right one.
“The agreement, in my view, did not go far enough,” Menendez said. “It provided too much to Iran and too little to enhance Israel’s security — and the security of the United States.”
“So long as I have a voice and a vote, I will not yield to those who wish to break my resolve on stopping Iran’s illicit nuclear program,” .

Source: US media, March 22