The Senate Defense Authorication Bill includes new sanctions in Iran.

By Roberta Rampton and Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON | Fri Nov 30, 2012 4:22pm EST

...The new package, (click here) which keeps in place exemptions for countries that have made significant cuts to their purchases of Iranian crude oil, would be the third round of sanctions in a year if passed into law.

The existing sanctions have already hurt Iran's economy, but it is uncertain whether the additional measures will stop or slow Iran's nuclear program.

Washington says Tehran is enriching uranium to levels that could be used in nuclear weapons. Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes.

Senators voted 94-0 to make the new sanctions part of an annual defense policy bill....

The Senate has been busy. They are seeking pressure on an arms exporter in Russia to stop sending arms to Syria.

 

02:40 01/12/2012

WASHINGTON December 1 (RIA Novosti) - The US Senate unanimously (click here) approved a measure that would effectively end the relationship between the Pentagon and Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state run arms export firm which has provided weapons to the Syrian government.

“The American taxpayer should not be indirectly subsidizing the mass murder of Syrian civilians, especially when there are perfectly good alternatives for purchasing these same arms through US brokers,” said Republican Sen. John Cornyn in a statement. Cornyn authored the amendment as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Senators voted on the Cornyn amendment Thursday night. The entire defense authorization bill is scheduled to be voted on by the full Senate next week....

19:43 30/11/2012

MOSCOW, November 30 (RIA Novosti) - The latest version (click here) of Russia's world-famous Kalashnikov assault rifle, the AK-12, has completed a set of preliminary tests, the weapons-making agency responsible for trials of the new gun said on Friday.

Last week, Dmitry Semizorov, head of the Tochmash state arms firm based near Moscow, said the AK-12 “has shown up a range of problems” and “a series of flaws.” He declined to elaborate on what the defects were, saying this was "the developer's confidential information."

The weapon was developed by Izhmash, the Izhevsk-based gun maker which has built Kalashnikov rifles since the 1950s....