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Iran’s parliament voted Sunday to expand the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program and foreign operations, a reaction to sanctions against Tehran signed by President Donald Trump in early August.
Hard-line members of Iran’s parliament shouted “Death to America” after the bill—which will increase the country’s military budget by almost $800 million—passed with an overwhelming majority.
Under the new law, Iran will funnel $260 million into the country’s missile program. The plan will divert $300 million to the country’s Quds force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s shadowy international operations wing. The group is one of the linchpins of the wars Iran is supporting in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The remaining $240 million will reportedly be spent on other military and intelligence-related projects.
According to The New York Times, the bill, which still requires a rubber stamp from one overseeing body, charges the government of re-elected President Hassan Rouhani with confronting the “threats, malicious, hegemonic and divisive activities of America in the region.”