Obama renews 33-year-old state of emergency with Iran as Senate mulls crippling sanctions

The announcement comes as the administration has doubled down on its tough stance against Iran following President Obama's reelection. On Thursday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against several Iranian officials and organizations for jamming satellite broadcasts and blocking access to the Internet.

Separately, Sens. Robert MenendezRobert (Bob) MenendezDems urge tech companies to remove 3D-gun blueprints Dem senators introduce resolution calling on Trump to stop attacking the press Booming economy has Trump taking a well-deserved victory lap MORE (D-N.J.) and Mark KirkMark Steven KirkThis week: Trump heads to Capitol Hill Trump attending Senate GOP lunch Tuesday High stakes as Trump heads to Hill MORE (R-Ill.) are hoping to include in a pending defense policy bill crippling new sanctions that would target a broad range of Iranian imports, The Associated Press reported Friday. The administration is believed to be wary of antagonizing countries that export to Iran after winning unprecedented international support for sanctions at the U.N., while also viewing the Senate bill as a strong bargaining chip to force Iran to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program during multilateral negotiations that could restart later this year after being on hiatus since the summer.