Washington, DC – Congressman Howard L. Berman, Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement in response to the State Department’s decision to impose sanction on seven companies under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) of 1996 and Congressman Berman’s legislation Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA) of 2010.

“Iran’s nuclear program is a fundamental threat to the United States and to our friends and allies. The Administration’s decision to impose further sanctions on businesses directly or indirectly assisting Iran’s pursuit of weapons of mass destruction is a welcome development; hopefully, other countries will follow the Obama Administration’s example. We look forward to seeing the impact of the newly-imposed sanctions, as well as the imposition of additional enforcement in the coming days, keeping in mind at all times that our fundamental goal is to prevent Iran from achieving the means to develop or acquire nuclear arms. Effectively enforced sanctions are our best hope for accomplishing that and doing so peacefully.”