US to impose sanctions on firms with Iran ties

The US House of Representatives has approved a law to impose sanctions on foreign companies that help supply gasoline to Iran.

Lawmakers hope the move will deter Tehran from advancing its nuclear program.

The legislation would expand an existing US law that already punishes foreign companies that invest more than 20 million US dollars a year in Iran's energy sector.

The Senate must approve the law before it takes affect.

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gives a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on November 2009. (AFP/File/Nicholas Kamm)