House Passes Bill Targeting Iran, Libya

The House, spurred by public anger over international terrorism, approved legislation Tuesday that would penalize foreign companies for investing in the oil industries of Iran and Libya.

The bill, which has already cleared the Senate, passed easily on a voice vote despite vehement objections from allied countries, which accuse the United States of increasingly resorting to illegal bullying tactics in forcing other nations to join Washington’s policy of isolating “rogue” states.

President Clinton will almost certainly sign the bill into law, congressional aides said, notwithstanding the outrage and countermeasures the law is sure to evoke abroad, especially in Europe.