House votes to bar heavy water purchases from Iran
The House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday to block the purchase of "heavy water" from Iran, defying President Barack Obama's veto threat a year after the announcement of the landmark Iran nuclear agreement.
The House passed the "No 2H2O from Iran Act" by 249-176, with support coming almost exclusively from Republicans, who hold a majority of seats in the chamber.
Every congressional Republican, and a few of Obama's fellow Democrats, opposed the nuclear deal between Iran and the United States and other world powers announced last July 14 in which Tehran agreed to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling international sanctions.
They argued that Obama was so eager to bolster his foreign policy legacy that he agreed to sanctions relief Iran did not deserve because it lied about its nuclear program, supported militant groups that attack U.S. allies and perpetrated human rights abuses.
Heavy water is a non-radioactive byproduct from making nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. The Obama administration said in April the United States would buy $8.6 million worth of heavy water from Iran, angering Republicans who called it a subsidy of the country's nuclear program.
The White House issued a threat on Monday to veto the bill, and two others the House is due to consider later this week.
Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, denied that the House measure would violate the landmark pact. He said it would deter Iran from producing heavy water by making its sale more difficult.
Separately, two Senate Republicans and two Democrats said on Wednesday they would introduce their own Iran-related bill.
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