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.



WTO Chief Okonjo-Iweala Reinstated for Second Term as Trade Wars Loom

World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (AFP)
World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (AFP)
TT

WTO Chief Okonjo-Iweala Reinstated for Second Term as Trade Wars Loom

World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (AFP)
World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (AFP)

World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was reappointed for a second term at a special meeting on Friday, the trade watchdog said, meaning her tenure will coincide with US President-elect Donald Trump's second administration.
Analysts expect the road ahead for the three-decade-old WTO will be challenging, likely characterised by trade wars with Trump, who returns to the White House on Jan. 20, threatening hefty tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China.
Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who made history in 2021 by becoming the WTO's first female and first African director-general, announced in September that she would run again, aiming to complete “unfinished business.”
No other candidates ran against her and all of the WTO's 166 members agreed by consensus to a proposal to reappoint her.
Trade sources said the meeting created a means of fast-tracking her appointment process to avoid any risk of it being blocked by Trump, whose teams and allies have criticised both Okonjo-Iweala and the WTO in the past.
In 2020, his administration gave its support to a rival candidate and sought to block her first term. She secured US backing only when President Joe Biden succeeded Trump in the White House in January 2021.
President Joe Biden on Thursday warned against damaging relations with Canada and Mexico, after Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on both US neighbors when he takes office in January.
“I think it's a counterproductive thing to do,” Biden told reporters when asked about his successor's plan.
“The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships. I think we got them in a good place,” he said during a visit to a fire department in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he is spending his last Thanksgiving holiday as president.
Trump sent jitters through global markets on Monday when he announced on social media that one of his first presidential actions would be to impose 25-percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada -- which share a free trade pact with the United States -- and add a 10-percent tariff on China.
Pledging that tariffs would only be removed from the US neighbors when illegal immigration and drug trafficking stop, he reaffirmed his intent to use trade as a cudgel against allies and rivals alike.
After expressing opposition to Trump's threats in a letter, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke by phone with the Republican president-elect on Wednesday.
Trump claimed that Sheinbaum had agreed to “stop migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
When asked about the dispute at her daily press conference on Thursday, Sheinbaum said: “I can assure you... that we would never -- we would not be capable -- of proposing that we were going to close the border.”
Biden on Thursday also talked about the importance of maintaining a working relationship with China.
“We've set up a hotline between President Xi and myself, as well as our military, a direct line,” Biden said, adding he was "confident" that his Chinese counterpart “doesn't want to make a mistake.”
“I'm not saying that he is our best buddy, but he understands what's at stake.”