Steven Mnuchin
© AP Photo/ J. Scott Applewhite
The United States will continue to use all possible options to apply additional sanctions on Iran, Syria, and North Korea to ensure the nation's safety, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

"In the case of Iran, there is no question the sanctions is what brought them to the table...We will use everything within our power to put additional sanctions on Iran, Syria, and North Korea to protect American lives. And I can assure you it is the big focus of mine," Mnuchin stated.

In July 2015, Iran and the P5+1 countries — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany - signed an agreement ensuring the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program in return for the gradual lifting of sanctions against Tehran.

However, the United States imposed new sanctions against Iran in February 2017 after Tehran had carried out a medium-range ballistic missile test in late January.

When it comes to North Korea, the international community, including the United States, has criticized a number of missile launches and nuclear tests that the Asian nation has carried out since the beginning of 2016, and tightened the sanctions regime against Pyongyang.

In regards to Syria, the US House of Representatives has recently passed the law on imposing additional sanctions against foreign backers providing support, including military, to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his alleged human rights abuses.

US Senator Shaheen to Introduce New Russia Sanctions Thursday - Spokesman
Jeanne Shaheen
© AP Photo/ Ron Edmonds
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen hopes to deliver a 'strong message' to Moscow when she introduces new sanctions against Russia at a Senate Committee meeting on Thursday, Shaheen's spokesman Ryan Nickel said on Wednesday.

"The foot-dragging on Russian sanctions has gone on long enough," Nickel told Politico. "There's bipartisan agreement that it's past time for the Senate to deliver a strong message to the Kremlin."

Shaheen wants to add the sanctions as amendments on a bill for new sanctions against Iran, but the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker is expected to block them, the newspaper added.

US media reported the sanctions are triggered by Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election. Russian officials have repeatedly denied allegations of meddling in the elections, calling them absurd.