US Senate approves Iran sanctions

On Monday The US Senate unanimously approved a package of new economic sanctions on Iran's oil sector just days ahead of a meeting in Baghdad between major world powers and Tehran. The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill in December and now the Senate and House must work out their differences in the legislation. The West suspects Iran is working to build a nuclear bomb and the sanctions are meant to strip Tehran of revenue by shutting down financial deals with Iran's powerful state oil and tanker enterprises. Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. In a statement from Republican Senator Mark Kirk, a co-author of the bill, he states that the Senate put Iranian leaders on notice that they must halt all uranium enrichment activities or face another round of economic sanctions from the United States.