Democrats Press Obama Administration Over Iran

WASHINGTON—Congressional Democrats are intensifying pressure on the Obama administration to hold Iran accountable for its testing of ballistic missiles.

Both supporters and opponents of the multinational nuclear accord with Iran say that to maintain U.S. credibility in enforcing the deal, the White House must move forward with sanctions on Iran after two missile tests in the fall. The administration in late December told lawmakers it planned to impose new financial penalties on nearly a dozen companies and individuals for their alleged role in developing Iran’s ballistic missile program. It then reversed course, saying it needed more time for diplomatic work with the Iranian government, but it hasn’t given a timeline for when they would be imposed.

That delay has put some Democrats, particularly those who represent large Jewish constituencies and donors, in an uncomfortable position. Many such lawmakers agonized this summer over whether to support the deal, which was opposed by Israel, saying their backing was contingent on strict oversight of Iran’s behavior.

“They ought to impose sanctions because we have to show we take this seriously,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.), who backed the nuclear deal, said Friday. “Iran is very destabilizing, very aggressive and very badly behaved and we have to do what we can to stop that.”

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on GOP legislation ensuring that as the administration eases sanctions on Iran under the nuclear deal, it doesn’t lift sanctions against individuals involved in the country’s ballistic missiles program or terrorism. Many Democrats said Friday they were reviewing the legislation.

Mr. Obama also faced resistance from his own party in November when nearly four dozen House Democrats defied his veto threat to support legislation to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees after the Islamic State attacks in Paris. That biil hasn’t been passed by the Senate.

The debate over the nuclear deal reached with Iran in July is likely to intensify as it is formally implemented and sanctions against Tehran are lifted. “I’m hopeful that Democrats, even those who voted to support the president’s deal, will recognize we’re in a bad place” under the agreement, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.) said.

Under terms of the nuclear deal, the U.S. committed to freeing as much as $100 billion in Iranian oil money frozen in overseas accounts as Iran takes steps to roll back key parts of its nuclear program. But Iran has test-fired two ballistic missiles since the July agreement, one in October and a second in November, according to U.S. officials. A United Nations panel ruled in December that the October launch violated a U.N. Security Council resolution that bans Iran’s development of ballistic-missile systems.

Last week, a group of seven House Democrats, including Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, urged President Barack Obama in a letter to sanction Iran for the missile testing.

“Inaction from the United States would send the misguided message that, in the wake of the [nuclear deal], the international community has lost the willingness to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its support for terrorism and other offensive actions throughout the region…” the Democrats wrote.

Iranian leaders have warned they would view any new sanctions as a violation of the nuclear deal.

“We will issue those sanctions and those designations at the appropriate time. There’s no question about it,” Denis McDonough, the president’s chief of staff, said on Fox News Sunday.

Rep. John Delaney (D., Md.), who supported the deal, has introduced legislation, backed by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D., Md.), aimed at making it easier for the president to issue sanctions on entities that buy or sell ballistic missiles from Iran.

It isn’t clear that Democrats would view the GOP bill as an acceptable way to pressure the administration. Some Democrats said they would oppose legislation they viewed as designed to undermine the nuclear deal. “Let’s be careful that what we’re doing is actually useful and helpful,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D., Mass.). A spokesman for Mr. McGovern said he would vote against the GOP bill.

—Nick Timiraos contributed to this article.

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