Posted 30/11/2012 06:05 PM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Friday to new sanctions targeting the sectors of energy, ports and maritime transport and shipbuilding in Iran, in the latest effort to step up economic pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.
The Board approved a majority of 94 votes and without opposition on the new sanctions as part of an annual bill for defense policy.
And must be approved by the Senate and House of Representatives on the defense bill before submitting it to President Barack Obama for his signature into law.
And promote the new package current U.S. sanctions on Iran but maintain exemptions for countries that introduce significant reductions in their purchases of Iranian crude oil.
The new sanctions also include measures designed to stem the flow of gold from Turkey to Iran.
The Committee on the American Israel Public Affairs (AIPAC) - a group that pro-Israel lobby - support for the new measures, which she said will help in bridging the gap in the existing sanctions.
In a letter to senators before the vote urges support for the bill said AIPAC leaders "in an effort to get around international sanctions on Iran's central bank, some buyers of oil and natural gas Iranians are using gold and other precious metals to pay for petroleum products."
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