Obama signs massive defense bill upping Iran sanctions

US President Barack Obama signed into law a wide ranging defense bill, including about $633 billion in spending and beefed up sanctions on Iran late Wednesday night.
 
The bill was approved by the House and Senate by a wide majority in late December. Obama signed the spending legislation along with a bill staving off the much-feared ‘fiscal cliff,’ which would have raised taxes.
 
The defense package includes stringent new sanctions on Iran’s energy and shipping sectors in a fresh attempt to hobble the Islamic Republic’s economy and hamper its nuclear ambitions.
 
The sanctions build upon penalties that Congress has passed — and Obama has implemented — that target Tehran’s financial and energy sectors.

Read more at Times of Israel