{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=809FE07B-0785-4057-A9EC-7274D3CF1533", "Heitkamp: Renewed Sanctions Will Help U.S. Hold Iran Accountable", "2016-12-16", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BISMARCK, N.D. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today released the following statement after a bill she helped pass to extend the Iran Sanctions Act through 2026 became law.\r\nThe law imposes harsh sanctions on anyone who invests in Iran\u2019s oil and gas sector, the sale of weapons of mass destruction, or uranium mining. Had an extension not been passed, sanctions that provide leverage for the United States to hold Iran accountable for destabilizing behavior would have expired this year. The U.S. Senate passed the 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act earlier this month.\r\n\u201cOur country needs to stay tough on Iran, and extending these sanctions is another avenue to do that,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cTough, smart sanctions were critical in bringing Iran to the negotiating table and keeping it from acquiring nuclear weapons. The Iran deal has been successful so far, but we still need to keep the pressure on Iran through the ability to re-impose sanctions should it cheat on the nuclear deal. Strong sanctions like these hold Iran accountable while working to protect our national security and keep North Dakota families safe.\u201d\r\nSanctions played a key role in bringing Iran to the table for the Iran nuclear deal, which Heitkamp supported and which so far has successfully reined in Iran and kept it from advancing its nuclear program. The deal \u2013 which was negotiated between the United States, Iran, United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Russia \u2013 has increased access for international inspectors, eliminated 97 percent of the country\u2019s uranium stockpile, and ripped out more than 13,000 centrifuges. Heitkamp supported the deal after participating in dozens of meetings, classified briefings, and congressional hearings on the deal with national security and non-proliferation experts, senior diplomats, advocates on all sides, and North Dakotans. Read more about why Heitkamp supported the deal in her Medium post on the Iran deal.\r\nEven with the deal in place, Congress continues to hold Iran\u2019s feet to the fire by maintaining sanctions on the country\u2019s support for terrorism, malign influence in the Middle East, and human rights violations.\r\nDuring a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking earlier this year, Heitkamp urged top Administration officials to guarantee that sanctions are used to punish Iran for its development of ballistic missiles and that the Iran nuclear deal is strictly enforced.\r\nHeitkamp has successfully pushed the Administration to use sanctions to hold Iran\u2019s feet to the fire on its nuclear program and other destabilizing behavior. After Iran tested ballistic missile technology last year, Heitkamp called on the president to take strong action in response to the violations of international law. Two months later the Administration did as Heitkamp requested, imposing stricter sanctions on companies and individuals involved in developing Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program.\r\nHeitkamp joined in a Congressional trip in January to the Middle East and Vienna, where she met senior International Atomic Energy Agency officials \u2013 the international inspectors who are implementing the Iran nuclear deal \u2013 and allies about fully implementing and enforcing the deal.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=809FE07B-0785-4057-A9EC-7274D3CF1533"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8237399160861969, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}