Corker Presses State Department on U.S. Sanctions Against Iran for Ballistic Missile Test

October 28, 2015 - During the fourth in a series of hearings on the U.S. role and strategy in the Middle East, U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pressed the U.S. Department of State to pursue unilateral sanctions against Iran if the United Nation’s Security Council cannot agree to hold Tehran accountable for violating the U.N. ban on ballistic missile testing earlier this month. The committee heard testimony today from Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson and U.S. Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Gen. John Allen. In questioning of Gen. Allen about Russian military action in Syria, Senator Corker expressed doubts about the likelihood of a political settlement of the conflict as long as Russia is determined to support the Assad regime, including the targeting of moderate opposition groups that are backed by the United States.