US House Committee Passes 'Stop Iranian Drones' Act

IRGC members in a drones factory (Tasnim)
IRGC members in a drones factory (Tasnim)
TT

US House Committee Passes 'Stop Iranian Drones' Act

IRGC members in a drones factory (Tasnim)
IRGC members in a drones factory (Tasnim)

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bipartisan bill that would ban the supply, sale, or transfer of military drones to or from Iran under US law.

The bill promises to punish those who deal with the Iranian regime in the drones' program under the US Sanctions on conventional weapons.

The Stop Iranian Drones Act (SIDA) is supposed to be put before the House of Representatives for a vote before it is presented to the Senate and becomes an effective law for the US administration.

In late November, the bill was introduced by a group of Republicans and Democrats, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks.

The lawmakers behind the proposed legislation say it clarifies that US sanctions on Iran's conventional weapons program under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) include the supply, sale, or transfer to or from Iran of drones, which can be used in attacks against the US or its allies.

Rep Meeks pointed out that the "deadly drones in the hands of the world's greatest exporter of terrorism, Iran, jeopardizes the security of the United States and regional peace."

He asserted that the 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.

The Democratic representative stressed that the bill sends a strong signal to the international community that support for the Iranian drone program will not be tolerated by the US government.

In October, the US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Iranian members working within a network of companies and individuals who supported Iran's drone programs.

The US Treasury Department 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.

The department said that IRGC-Quds Force provided "lethal support" to Tehran's drone program. It said they helped spread Iranian drones to "Hezbollah, Hamas, Kata'ib Hizballah, the Houthis, and to Ethiopia."

"Iran's proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability. Iran and its proxy militants have used UAVs to attack US forces, our partners, and international shipping," added the department.

"The Treasury will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts."

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

McCaul said that "these attacks are intolerable" whether Iran launches the attack, the Houthis, Iran-backed militia groups, or any other Iran-sponsored entities.

"The people of the Middle East, including Americans living there, cannot live in freedom, stability, or prosperity under assault by Iran's drones," said Rep McCaul.

The steps taken by the lawmakers come as the United States and Iran conduct their indirect negotiations in Vienna, aiming for a return to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Republicans in the US Congress intensified their moves against the steps taken by the Biden administration towards Iran, demanding a more assertive and aggressive role in dealing with the Iranian regime.



Spain Searches for Bodies after Flooding Claims at Least 158 Lives

People work on a mud-covered street with damaged cars in the aftermath of torrential rains that caused flooding, in Paiporta, Spain, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Eva Manez
People work on a mud-covered street with damaged cars in the aftermath of torrential rains that caused flooding, in Paiporta, Spain, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Eva Manez
TT

Spain Searches for Bodies after Flooding Claims at Least 158 Lives

People work on a mud-covered street with damaged cars in the aftermath of torrential rains that caused flooding, in Paiporta, Spain, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Eva Manez
People work on a mud-covered street with damaged cars in the aftermath of torrential rains that caused flooding, in Paiporta, Spain, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Eva Manez

Crews searched for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings Thursday following monstrous flash floods in Spain that claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in one region alone.

More horrors emerged from the debris and ubiquitous layers of mud left by the walls of water that produced Spain's deadliest natural disaster in living memory, The Associated Press reported. Officials said Thursday that 155 people were killed by the floods in the hardest-hit region of Valencia.

The widespread damage recalled the aftermath of a hurricane or tsunami.
Cars were piled on one another like fallen dominoes, uprooted trees, downed power lines and household items all mired in mud that covered streets in dozens of communities in Valencia.

An unknown number of people are still missing and more victims could be found.

“Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles,” said Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente.
Rushing water turned narrow streets into death traps and spawned rivers that tore through homes and businesses, sweeping away cars, people and everything else in its path. The floods demolished bridges and left roads unrecognizable.

Regional authorities said late Wednesday it seemed no one was left stranded on rooftops or in cars in need of rescue after helicopters had saved some 70 people.
“Our priority is to find the victims and the missing so we can help end the suffering of their families,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said after meeting with regional officials and emergency services in Valencia on Thursday, the first of three official days of mourning.

While the most suffering was inflicted on municipalities near the city of Valencia, the storms unleashed their fury over huge swaths of the south and eastern coast of the Iberian peninsula. Two fatalities were reported in the neighboring Castilla La Mancha region and one in southern Andalusia.

The regional president for Castilla La Mancha, Emilion García-Page, said that at least one Guardia Civil police officer was among several missing people in the town of Letur.

Homes were left without water as far southwest as Malaga in Andalusia, where a high-speed train derailed on Tuesday night although none of the nearly 300 passengers were hurt.

Greenhouses and farms across southern Spain, known as Europe’s garden for its exported produce, were also ruined by heavy rains and flooding. The storms spawned a freak tornado in Valencia and a hail storm that punched holes in cars in Andalusia.

Heavy rains continued Thursday farther north as the Spanish weather agency issued a red alert for several counties in Castellón, in the eastern Valencia region, and for Tarragona in Catalonia. An orange alert was issued for southwest Cadiz.
“This storm front is still with us,” the prime minister said. “Stay home and heed the official recommendation and you will help save lives.”