Donald Trump's transition team is mulling new U.S. sanctions against Iran separate from the regime's nuclear program.
Congressional Republicans have been in contact with the president-elect's transition team to discuss imposing sanctions separate from the Iran nuclear deal that could focus on the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program or its human rights record, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing congressional sources.
"They are already looking closely at their options–and that very much includes non-nuclear sanctions," an unnamed congressional official said.
While Trump called the Iran nuclear accord the "worst deal ever negotiated" while on the campaign trail, the president-elect has not yet said how he will approach the deal after his inauguration.
The agreement implemented last year by the U.S., Iran, and five other world powers is meant to contain Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
The Senate on Thursday drew ire from Iran after overwhelmingly passing a 10-year extension of sanctions that the Obama administration said does not violate the agreement but opposed. Tehran threatened retaliation on Friday.
The measure, which passed the House last month, will head to the White House for President Obama's signature.
"The big difference next year is that we will go from a White House that did everything it could to block these bills to a White House that will be in favor and maybe even sponsor some of these proposals," a Republican congressional source told the Times.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said he plans to introduce a separate bill that would slap sanctions on sectors of Iran's economy. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), meanwhile, has already introduced three bills that would place additional sanctions on the regime.