Later in the day, President Obama signed into law what the White House has billed the harshest US sanctions against Iran to date.

President Obama: “With these sanctions, along with others, we are striking at the heart of the Iranian government’s ability to fund and develop its nuclear program. We are showing the Iranian government that its actions have consequences. And if it persists, the pressure will continue to mount, and its isolation will continue to deepen. There should be no doubt: the United States and the international community are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

The new sanctions target companies supplying Iran with gasoline as well as banking firms tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard or its nuclear program. They come on top of the sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council last month.