US Lawmakers Introduce ‘Stop Iranian Drones Act’

Drones are seen during a large-scale drone combat exercise of Iran's Army (Reuters)
Drones are seen during a large-scale drone combat exercise of Iran's Army (Reuters)
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US Lawmakers Introduce ‘Stop Iranian Drones Act’

Drones are seen during a large-scale drone combat exercise of Iran's Army (Reuters)
Drones are seen during a large-scale drone combat exercise of Iran's Army (Reuters)

Several US Democratic and Republican lawmakers have put forward a bill calling for sanctions on the Iranian drone program and its suppliers.

The lawmakers introduced the Stop Iranian Drones Act (SIDA) to clarify that US sanctions on Iran's conventional weapons program under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) include supplying, selling, or transferring to or from Iran of unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks indicated that deadly drones in the hands of Iran jeopardize the security of the United States and regional peace.

"Recent Iranian drone attacks on US troops, commercial shipping vessels, and against regional partners, along with the export of drone technology to conflict zones, pose a dire threat," said Meeks.

He noted that SIDA aims to send a strong signal to the international community that support for the Iranian drone program will not be tolerated in Washington.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul warned that Iran's UAV proliferation threatens the US and its allies throughout the Middle East.

"Whether the attack is launched by Iran, the Houthis, Iran-backed militia groups or any other Iran-sponsored entities, these attacks are intolerable."

He claimed that people of the Middle East, including US citizens living there, cannot live in freedom, stability, or prosperity under assault by Iran's drones.

The bill ensures the world knows that the US will use every tool to cut off Iran's UAV supplies and punish those who continue to supply Iran with drones and parts despite their destructive impact.

Last August, the United States, Britain, and Israel blamed Iran for the attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which killed two British and Romanian sailors.

The US Treasury Department has issued sanctions against a pair of companies and a handful of individuals for supporting unmanned systems for the Revolutionary Guard Corps and its al-Qods Force.

Among those sanctioned are Brig. Gen. Saeed Aghajani and top IRGC official Abdallah Mehrabi.

US officials have accused Iran of being behind a drone attack on a US base in Syria. Washington believed the drone was supplied by Tehran, but it was not launched from Iran.



Trump Says He Is Less Confident about Iran Nuclear Deal 

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)
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Trump Says He Is Less Confident about Iran Nuclear Deal 

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)

US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday. 

"I don’t know," Trump told the "Pod Force One" podcast on Monday when asked if he thought he could get Iran to agree to shut down its nuclear program. "I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more — less confident about it." 

Trump has been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran's nuclear activities and has threatened Tehran with bombing if no agreement is reached. 

He told reporters at the White House on Monday that he had discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and said talks with Iranians were "tough." 

In the podcast interview, Trump said Iranians seem to be using delaying tactics. 

"I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made," he said. 

Trump repeated that the US would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, whether or not a deal is reached. 

"But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it. But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal," he said. 

Iran says it has no plans to build a nuclear weapon and is only interested in power generation and other peaceful projects. 

During his first White House term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Tehran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.